Dante's Warcry
by Hey.I'm.Nika
Summary: On a night out on a case, Dante finds himself charmed by a mysterious burlesque dancer. He is brought down to earth quickly when she tries to kill him with his own guns...  plot ensues!  DantexOC  My first fic! *COMPLETE*
1. Chapter 1: Eat You Up

**Chapter 1: Eat you up**

"That'll be five-fifty Ma'am."

"Thank you."

The old man at the till took the coins and eyed the lady in front of him gingerly. After handing her the Coke that she asked for, he leaned over the surface of the counter of the grubby old kiosk and flicked his tongue through the gap between his two front teeth before he asked:"What's a pretty little thing like you doing in a crappy old place like this?"

He could tell by her outfit that she wasn't from around here. She was completely dressed in black, which made her seem very mysterious and alluring. Her long brown hair hung luxuriously down to her waist and complemented the richness of her red painted lips and dark, smoky eyelids. Wearing a velvet coat, long boots that reached up all the way to her thighs and a pair of diamond earrings, made her look like more of an uptown socialite, rather than someone who would come here.

"You mean here on the corner of Rape and Pepper spray?" the woman asked as she opened her drink to put a straw into it. "I have work here."

The old man whistled suggestively, as if suddenly understanding something."I see…" he chuckled. "Well then, if you ever need some more… business…"

"It's not that type of 'business', Grandpa," she interrupted him, clearly irritated by the disgusting old man's advances. "Thanks for the Coke."

"You're welcome, Missy," said the old man as she strode away, eyeing her backside as she strutted into the dark alleyway and disappeared into the blackness, until only the scent of her perfume that hung in the air indicated that she was even there.

The old man smiled ominously and whispered: "See you soon…"

**xxxElsewhere in the Cityxxx**

The club was busy and stuffy. The scent of cigar smoke hung heavily in the air, accompanied by syrupy instrumental jazz music. Around every corner some male was being charmed by a young lady in lacy lingerie, drink in one hand and cigarette in the other. Every single gentleman was busy, however, except for the man in the secluded corner booth. Although he wanted to be part of the fun, he couldn't risk being distracted from this job. It paid more than he usually made in a year. Besides, he couldn't really fit in here, it wasn't exactly his scene. This was Dante's first time in a burlesque lounge. Sure he's been to strip joints and all that, but this was a lot more classy. Kind of like a professional escort service.

"Excuse me, Sir? May I take your order?" The young waitress smiled. She was a very cute girl, with curly blond hair that hung on her shoulders.

"I'll have a strawberry sundae." Dante said as he casually scanned the room, as if he was looking for someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Sir, we don't have this here… Although we do have some chocolate covered strawberries with whipped cream and…"

"Then don't worry about it," Dante interrupted the girl. "I'll just have a Coke."

"Okay…" the girl replied, surprised that anyone in this place would order something non-alcoholic.  
>Dante wasn't here for the fun, he was on the hunt. Something big was going down at the Décadente Lounge. There had been talk of a vicious murderer around town, one that loved to murder young women. Nobody was ever found though… The murderer was rumoured to target the Décadent Lounge quite often. Dante had received a phone call from the Lounge's owner herself, a fierce believer in the supernatural, offering to pay a shipload of cash to rid the lounge of this evil thing.<p>

"So where are you from, Monique?" A young girl asked as she sat next to her in the dressing room.

"Oh, here and there…" She answered while she pulled the mascara brush over her eyes. She didn't really know what to say to the performers clamouring around her. She got up to remove her robe. The lacy lingerie looked good on her. The red corset with black suspenders holding on to the dark thigh length stockings, paired with red high heels looked very sexy.

"Almost time, everyone!" One of the managers shouted.

"C'mon, Monique, its curtain call!" the girl she was talking to stood up and made her way to the door.  
>"I'll be right there!" Monique waited for everyone to leave the dressing room. When she was finally alone, she took out the little perfume bottle that carried her secret weapon.<br>Truth was, she wasn't just a new performer making her debut that night at the Décadent Lounge.

She did something a lot more sinister for a living.

Monique du Beaumont was famous for her work in hunting demons. As an experienced demonologist she knew exactly how to drive the hell out of anything. The perfume she was using was made from the essence of a black rose, belladonna leaves and hair strands from a virgin girl. It was a pure, concentrated liquid form of demon bait. It had the ability to hypnotize a demon and charm him through the magic of its ingredients, which is what Monique used to her advantage.

She smeared the mixture on her neck and smiled as she recognized the familiar scent. She quickly moved out of the room and walked over casually to the backstage area.

"Miss du Beaumont, are you ready?" a stage worker asked.

"Almost…" She smiled sweetly.

As the person left, she peeked through the curtains quite subtly and carefully, eyeing the audience for the sight of a devil.

And then she noticed _him_, and _his _aura.

There was a man in a red coat sitting in the shadows of the lounge. He definitely had a demon in him. She was absolutely sure of it.

"Showtime, ladies!" A voice came from the back of the room.

Monique smirked.

_"Showtime it is."_

Suddenly he sensed it. In the far corner of the lounge came the feeling Dante was used to, when he sensed that one of his own kind was nearby. He was about to move over to where the smell came from, when the lights went out. Immediately, he moved his hands to the hilts of Ebony and Ivory, on full alert for anything that might happen in the next few seconds. But, to his surprise, a spotlight fell on the stage while ominous and dark, yet still sexy, music started playing. The curtain lifted.

Then… a very pleasant scent filled him.

On the stage was a woman lying on a red couch, her face hidden by a black top hat. She was wearing a red corset with black stockings and red heals. The backup singers were all dressed in black, so that the woman in red stood out perfectly. Holding the microphone onto her bright red lips, she started singing in an enticing, chocolatey voice:

"_When I first saw you I knew nothings like it's used to be.  
>Boy, you have got to be the finest thing in history…<em>"

She looked up, revealing her face. Even from where he was standing, Dante could see that her eyes were brown.

"_The way I feel inside is just so hard to understand…  
>You feed my appetite in ways I can't explain…<em>"

As she stood up her luxurious brown hair cascaded down her back and bounced with every step she took.

"_I'll eat you up  
>(your love your love)<br>I'll eat you up  
>(your love your love)<br>(Woah)  
>I'll eat you up<br>(Woah)  
>So yum yum<br>(Woah)  
>Can't get enough<br>(Woah oh oh)  
>I think I'm in love…<em>"

She started walking slowly towards where Dante stood. It was as if she was looking straight at him, hypnotizing him with every word that she sang. He couldn't move.

"_If you move any closer boy there is no guarantee,  
>what I will do to you, I fear it and it's scaring me…<em>"

She finally walked right to where he was standing, took off her hat and placed it on his head. She pressed against him and her eyes didn't leave his for a second as she sang:

"_Like I've become some kind of demon in the night…  
>You look so tasty and I could eat you up alive<em>"

She pushed him back into his chair and moved her face close to his, still every single cell in his solid body.

"_I'll eat you up  
>(your love your love)<br>I'll eat you up  
>(your love your love)<br>(Woah)  
>I'll eat you up<br>(Woah)  
>So yum yum<br>(Woah)  
>Can't get enough<br>(Woah oh oh)  
>I think I'm in love…<em>

_I'll eat you up  
>(your love your love)<br>I'll eat you up  
>(your love your love)<br>(Woah)  
>I'll eat you up<br>(Woah)  
>So yum yum<br>(Woah)  
>Can't get enough<br>(Woah oh oh)  
>I think I'm in love…<em>"

She smiled decadently and kissed him on the cheek in a slow, deliberate manner. Leaving him breathless, she stood up and strolled back onto the stage

"_I'll eat you up  
>(your love your love)<br>(Woah)  
>I'll eat you up<br>(Woah)  
>So yum yum<br>(Woah)  
>Can't get enough<br>(Woah oh oh)  
>I think I'm in love…<em>"

She turned around one last time, motioning at Dante with her finger:

"_I wanna take you to my room…  
>Wanna take you to my room…<em>"

She turned around to face the whole audience this time, finally ending her siren song, moving backwards slowly…

_"(Woah)  
>I'll eat you up<br>(Woah)  
>So yum yum<br>(Woah)  
>Can't get enough<br>(Woah oh oh)  
>I think I'm in love<em>

(I'll eat you up)  
>(I'll eat you up)<br>(I'll eat you up)  
>(I'll eat you up)<p>

"

She disappeared behind the curtain. The lights came back on as a loud applause snapped Dante back to reality.

Suddenly Dante realized how the hell he must've looked. With a silly little hat on his head and a lipstick stain on his cheek, he was no better than any other rich, drunk bastard in this joint. He took the cursed thing off his head and cleaned his cheek by rubbing his hand on his face. What the hell just happened to him?

With an angry groan Dante realized the eerie feeling he got just before the show started had left.

"Damn it!"

Dante mumbled, angry at himself for getting distracted on such an important job. He stood up and started searching for the feeling again, but it had left for good. Frustrated, he slumped back down into his chair and ordered a scotch from the bar.

"What the fuck just happened to me…?" He whispered to himself. He must not be used to female company anymore… why else would he have found that woman so… extremely appealing?

Just then, something at one of the exits caught his eye. He looked up, just to see the verysame woman from the stage, halfway engulfed into the shadows of the night outside, smiling at him alluringly.

Even then, Dante had to admit… she _was_ hot.

He was also intrigued and interested by her effect on him… But he was here on a case, and had to focus on that. Thus he ignored her.

"Excuse me, sir?" The blonde waitress that took Dante's order caught his attention.

"Yeah?"

"There's a lady outside that asked me to leave you a message."

Dante was surprised. That girl just wouldn't quit.

"What is it?" he asked, irritated by the distraction.

"She said to tell you that 'ebony and ivory mix together in perfect harmony.'"

The girl seemed puzzled by the thought, but Dante knew what the woman probably meant. His hands flew to his holsters… His two guns, Ebony and Ivory, were missing.

"Fuck…" he groaned. "How the hell did she…?"

Dante stood up and made his way towards the door where he last saw the went outside, and suddenly found himself in an alleyway. He walked onwards for about two minutes until he came to a dead end.

A melodious voice came up behind him: "Pity I have to kill you, Demon. You have such a pretty face… If you weren't scum form hell, I might've meant that song and dance a bit for real."

Dante turned around. The mysterious woman stood there in her sexy outfit, the sweet smell still floating around her like some sort of alluring fog.

"Wow, babe, how'd you manage to get my guns from right under me?" Dante asked as he crossed his arms in a mocking fashion.

The woman smiled slyly, and aimed Dante's weapons straight at him.

"A magician never reveals her secrets. Any last words before I kill you with your own guns?"

Dante smiled coyly, and pulled Rebellion from behind his back.

"Just one…"


	2. Chapter 2: Jackpot

Chapter 2: Jackpot

"Pity I have to kill you, Demon. You have such a pretty face…"  
>Dante turned around. The mysterious woman stood there in her sexy outfit, the sweet smell still floating around her like some sort of alluring fog.<br>"Wow, babe, how'd you manage to get my guns from right under me?" Dante asked as he crossed his arms in a mocking fashion.  
>The woman smiled slyly, and aimed Dante's weapons straight at him.<br>"A magician never reveals her secrets. Any last words before I kill you with your own guns?"  
>Dante smiled coyly, and pulled Rebellion from behind his back.<br>"Just one…"  
>Dante lunged at her at an astonishing speed with the magnificent sword high over his head. The woman dodged the attack skillfully, firing a bullet as she turned.<br>"Missed me…" Dante swung the sword again, this time slicing the woman on her lacy corset. It split open, but the bare skin on her body was untouched.  
>"C'mon Demon, wouldn't it be easier for you to fight in your true form?" the woman taunted as one of the guns fired another shot and missed a quick moving Dante by an inch.<br>"Nah, I'm cool like this." Dante smirked as he swung the sword at her neck. She dodged it by simply bending backwards. He was impressed by this woman. Every move she made was almost acrobatic and well refined, as if she was doing a simple dance before an audience.  
>"So, Beautiful, why are you picking a fight with me?" Dante said as he jumped an impossible height and disappeared into the darkness<br>The woman made a disgusted face as she started looking around for a sign of him.  
>"Usually the demons I meet aren't such cocky bastards…" She fired two bullets this time. "Why are you so calm?" The woman actually sounded surprised.<br>"What do you mean, Babe?"  
>Dante caught her by surprise as he appeared right behind her and grabbed the two guns right out of her hands.<br>"Shit…" the woman breathed. Immediately she moved away from him and started dodging bullets which were now coming from him.  
>Unfortunately, one hit her in her gut.<br>"Aaah!" she exclaimed and grabbed her stomach to stop the wound from bleeding too much.  
>Dante put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her to the floor with superhuman strength while aiming his pistols straight at her forehead.<br>"Now, Babe, are you gonna tell me what the hell this is all about?"  
>The woman made a painful face and groaned: "Go to hell!"<br>To Dante's surprise she lifted one sleek, slender leg and kicked one of Dante's guns out of his hands, catching it before it hit the floor.  
>Before they knew it, they were facing each other, guns pointed at one another's heads.<br>"Nice move, Gorgeous. I see the pretty kitty had claws after all." Dante smirked.  
>"Still waiting on that last word…" She pouted.<br>"Oh, right…" Dante firmed his grip and around Ivory's trigger. "Jackpot."  
>"STOP!" A female voice came from the alley. "STOP! I beg you, Miss du Beaumont! Mister Dante! Please!"<br>The owner of the lounge, an older woman in her fifties, came running towards them, lifting her silky skirts to her ankles and dragging her expensive high heels through the disgusting streets of the alley.  
>"Please stop!" The lady kept yelling.<br>The two hunters turned their attention onto the poor older woman, who looked very distressed at their little scene.  
>"What's wrong?" Miss du Beaumont asked, surprised.<br>The owner was out of breath.  
>"Miss… You've got the wrong… person…" she answered between deep breaths. "This… is just another… hunter…! I brought him in to help…!"<br>Miss du Beaumont looked like someone just slapped her in the face.  
>"No," she said. "It can't be… he IS a demon, isn't he? I've never been wrong?"<br>Dante sighed, as he put his gun back into his holster. "Only half, Babe."  
>"Stop calling me 'Babe!' I'm a grown woman!" she exclaimed angrily, still pointing the pistol at his face.<br>"Whatever you say, Babe. You've clearly got the wrong guy here. Looks like I'm on your team." Dante picked up Rebellion from the floor and slid it back behind his back.  
>"Miss du Beaumont," the owner said weakly. "I can assure you this man is not the culprit."<br>"Now if ya don't mind, I'd like to have my other gun back." Dante held his hand out to the woman, who had a mixture of shock and frustration on her face. Wordlessly, she placed Ebony back into his hands.  
>Miss du Beaumont closed her eyes and sighed: "Well, if YOU'RE not the guy… then that means we let him get away. Damn." She went to sit on one of the crates that stood next to the building, took out a silver lighter, and started flicking the flame on and off. She was clearly irritated.<br>Dante chuckled.  
>"Don't get all angry just 'cause I kicked your ass, Babe."<br>"You didn't kick my ass! I was right in the middle of pulling that trigger!" She snarled.  
>"Sure you were."<p>

Monique was still pissed when they were sat down in Mrs. Jones' office.  
>"So what do you mean half?" she asked bitterly.<br>"What?" Dante looked up at her.  
>"You said you were half something? Did you mean you were half demon?" She asked, still flicking the lighter, but avoiding his eyes.<br>"Oh, yeah," Dante replied. "I'm half demon, half human. Best of both worlds, I guess." He took one of his guns out of his red coat and started studying it casually.  
>Monique sighed.<br>That must be why the perfume didn't work on him.  
>He seemed to enjoy the smell, but wasn't intoxicated by it. He caught her completely off guard by that while they were fighting. Usually, a real demon was so wild with lust after the perfume and hypnosis she performed on it earlier, it would charge wildly and lose concentration easily. She was so surprised when this man remained so cool and collected.<br>It was as if he was reading her thoughts, when he asked:  
>"What sort of perfume did you put on?"<br>She slid her lighter back into her coat pocket.  
>"Do you like it?" she asked, raising one eyebrow.<br>"Yeah, it's really good. Had a real effect on me when you were performing your sexy little song and dance." He winked as he said this.  
>For the first time since her show, she lifted one of the corners of her mouth. So it did move him a little. In the future, if she ever had to fight a hybrid like him again, she would just have to use more on herself.<br>"I'm Dante," he said, and held out his hand.  
>"So I heard," she took his hand and shook it. "The name's Monique."<br>"I take it you're French?" Dante asked.  
>Monique was just about to answer, when Mrs. Jones came in.<br>"I'm afraid the beast has struck again," she sighed. "This time one of the waitresses." She went to sit down at her desk and pulled something out of her drawer. It was a picture of the girl who had served Dante earlier.  
>"Damn it," Monique breathed as she took the picture from Mrs. Jones. "And the body?"<br>"Gone…" The older lady sighed.  
>"But how do you know it's a demon, Mrs. Jones?" Monique asked.<br>The woman looked thoughtful.  
>"Well, I just suspected it at first, but it was confirmed when one of my girls claimed she saw something…" The lady stood up and went to pour herself a glass of scotch. "She said she saw something horrible, something enormous with horns and scales. I knew what she meant. That's when I called the both of you."<br>Monique scoffed.  
>"I could've handled this by myself."<br>Dante laughed.  
>"Yeah, sure, especially when you were kicking ass back there in the alley… Oh, wait, that was me."<br>"Why, you arrogant…!" Monique stood up.  
>"Please!" Mrs. Jones put her glass down loudly, with an anxious look on her face. "This is my business. I need to be rid of this thing! I don't care who does it or how it happens. From what I've heard, you two are the best money can hire. I'm willing to double my wage if this filthy beast is wiped out before another girl disappears. Will you two help me or not?"<p> 


	3. Chapter 3: Perfume

Chapter 3: Perfume

"Tell me again why I have to let you stay at my house?" Monique asked, annoyed.  
>"Because the rich lady is paying you to." Dante said as they stood in front of the small, two-story brick house. "And why's that such a problem?"<br>"I don't like strangers in my house," Monique said as she unlocked the door and opened it.  
>Dante smiled coyly and mentioned: "Well, I think after you shook your sexy little toosh at my face last night on that stage, I don't believe we're strangers at all." That comment got him a dirty look.<br>It was a neat little place. It did not match the violent burlesque dancer Dante saw the night before at all.  
>"Wow, Babe, had no idea you were so… suburban…" Dante chuckled as he went to sit on one of the beige couches.<br>"Wow, DUDE, had no idea a meathead like you knew what the word 'suburban' means," Monique said as she pulled open the curtains.  
>The room looked like something out of those perfect housewife magazines. It was colour-coded, dusted and draped to perfection. The whole place was in a word… symmetrical. Painfully symmetrical.<br>When she finally finished preparing the house, Monique asked:  
>"So… can I get you anything?"<br>Dante ignored the question and kept staring at the lacy lingerie she was still wearing under her open coat. He couldn't deny it. He really was taken by her performance the night before and liked the way the corset hugged her body a little too closely. From what he could see, her body was curvy and toned. He had to admit, she was hot. And it had been a while since he'd had any action, since he was busy with jobs and paying off all his debt. Still, he decided to have some fun with her.  
>"I'll have me some of that," he said as he pointed at her costume. Monique closed her coat tightly.<br>"I don't think this will fit you," she snapped back sarcastically. "I should go change."  
>"Can I come too?" That was another remark that earned a dirty look and a throw pillow to the face. He chuckled and asked: "Was that a yes or a no?"<p>

Later that evening, they were sitting at her dining table, contemplating their next move on the infamous killer at the burlesque lounge. They were to go back the next day and finalize the fate of the demon who murdered the girls.  
>"Well, that's done then. I'm glad we have a plan now. Want some hot chocolate?" Monique asked.<br>Earlier that day she changed into a simple black t-shirt and jeans, which made her seem like a much more relaxed person.  
>"Babe, how are you still walking around fine?" Dante asked, his brow furrowed.<br>"What do you mean?" She asked as she went to take two cups out of her kitchen cupboard.  
>"I shot you last night? If I remember correctly?" Dante pointed at her stomach.<br>Monique looked down and said: "Oh, yes. You do remember correctly."  
>She rubbed the area where the bullet hit. "Not many know this, but I'm also an alchemist. It was easy to treat this little wound right before we went to the club owner's office."<br>Dante nodded in comprehension as she went into her kitchen. This was all very interesting to Dante. A hottie who hunted demons and mixed weird potions is a sexy combination. He was also still wondering about the scent that had such an effect on him. It was obviously not the effect she wanted, but it had an effect nonetheless. He thought back to when they were in battle.  
><em> "Usually the demons I meet aren't such cocky bastards…Why are you so calm?"<em>  
>It probably had to do with the fact that he was half human. Lucky for him. But it appeared to have had a good effect immediately after those curtains lifted. Everything about her act was to hypnotize him into coming after her, but instead it triggered lust with him. He thought she was hot when she came out, and he did want her, but after that the hypnotic effect wore off.<br>As Dante thought about this, Monique entered the room again._  
><em>"Do you make that sweet little perfume of yours on your own as well?" Dante stretched and yawned.  
>"Indeed, I do," she replied. "Are you going to bed now?"<br>"Maybe I will. Care to join me?" He winked as she handed him a mug.  
>She rolled her eyes.<br>"I'll take a rain check on that one. But if you're going to bed, I'm going to my lab downstairs. I have to concoct a few things for my own use."  
>"You have a LAB?" Dante raised his eyebrows. "Like a secret underground lair thing?"<br>"Sure, I guess…?" She replied.  
>"Can I see it?" Dante asked.<br>"Unfortunately not," Monique told him, and took a sip of her hot chocolate. "That's the only part of this place that's off limits to you." When he smiled slyly, she added: "And so is my bedroom."  
>"Aw, Babe, c'mon! Now that it's off limits, I have to see it!" Dante made a mock puppy face, but wiped it off quickly when Monique said: "When you make that face, you look like an ugly girl."<br>Finally, Dante gave in.  
>"Fine, Babe, I won't go into your secret lab." He stood up to go to the room he was to stay in, when Monique called:<br>"Actually, Dante, I do have a favour to ask…"  
>"What is it?"<br>"Could you open this jar for me?" Monique asked sweetly. "It's hard being a woman in a house full of these, you know." She handed him a glass jar with a tight looking lid.  
>"Sure," said Dante. He put his hands on the top and… "Ah, damn!" He said as he put his finger in his mouth. "I cut myself. This thing has some pretty sharp edges."<br>"Oh, don't worry about it! I can't get it open either… I'll just go buy another one tomorrow," said Monique, and took it from him, carrying it with her to the kitchen.  
>"Good night!" she added.<p>

Dante sat on his bed, bored out of his mind. He couldn't really sleep well in other people's places. Particularly if that someone was a gorgeous, curvy babe who had an underground LABORATORY that he wasn't allowed to see.  
>It wasn't like he was going to touch anything? He just wanted to have a look around. Now he's being told like a little boy what he can and can't do?<br>Dante frowned.  
>But still… he should respect her wishes. This is her house after all. Her house with her… awesome… lab… that… he… couldn't… go to…<br>But wait… what if it wasn't really a lab?  
>What if she kept all her demon trophies there?<br>What if that's where she kept all those sexy lingerie outfits?  
>What if that's where she practices her sexy dancing?<br>But no… he shouldn't… he couldn't…  
>"AH! Who am I kidding?" Dante stood up from his bed and went to look for a descending stairwell.<p>

The lab Monique was standing in was brightly lit. She was used to burning the midnight oil when it came to her research. The place was filled with interesting bottles and holders, and electronic equipment taking up most of the place.  
>Monique hummed as she was turning on her microscope. Getting Dante's blood sample was too easy. That dumb jar had been cutting her for almost a week now, and she couldn't believe her luck when the same thing happened to him too. She took a swab and rubbed it on the jar's lid where Dante had cut himself.<br>She was really excited to see the son of Sparda's blood sample underneath a microscope.  
>Yes, she knew who he was.<br>As a demonologist she knew almost every piece of history concerning hell and back. Dante's name and hybrid status was a dead giveaway. The only reason she agreed to let him stay at her place was so she could have the chance to get to know him better.  
>Truth was, she admired him quite a bit.<br>In her line of work she had heard the most fantastic stories about what he was capable of and what he could bring down, and had secretly been delighted at the thought of the famous Dante in her house!  
>And, she hated to admit it, as good as she was… he was just better. She denied it profusely, but he was right. He was definitely kicking her ass back there at the lounge.<br>As she slid the blood sample in sight range of her scope, she was pleasantly surprised at the complexity of Dante's DNA.  
>But first… she was curious about something. She took a vile of the concentrated perfume she used in her missions, and let a drop fall down on the sample.<br>"Holy shit…" she breathed. The molecular structure changed completely. From what she could see, testosterone levels in Dante's blood went from normal to an impossible amount.  
>To demons, the perfume was a pleasant piece of bait which had the power to cloud the mind to be susceptible to hypnosis.<br>To Dante, it was that, AND a full-blown aphrodisiac. The sample indicated that an overdose of exposure to the perfume would not only make Dante lose control over his will to be sexual, it would irritate every cell in his body, making him a risk to be a highly dangerous person to be around.  
>"How fascinating!" Monique exclaimed.<br>She moved over to a giant tub right next to the door, where she was preparing more of the perfume. The mixture in the tub was about the amount of perfume she needed in a year's time. She was running dangerously low on stock, and even though Dante had come to live with her quite suddenly, she needed to make the perfume before any of the belladonna leaves in her inventory dried up.  
>She bent over with a thermometer to make sure the mixture was being held at the correct temperature and was just about to put it in when:<br>"Hey, Babe!"  
>The door was pushed open, hitting her on her backside… pushing her forward.<br>A thousand voices screamed in her head as she fell face first into the tub of concentrated perfume.  
>She knew what just happened, and what the consequences were going to be…<br>The perfume was warm. She came up for air and turned around.  
>Even though she was afraid to open her eyes at the scene that was going to unfold in front of her, she knew she had to. She would never forget the expression on Dante's face.<br>It was a mixture of lust and pure hunger.  
>"Oh, shiiiiiiiiit…." She muttered.<p>

**********************************************************************************  
>Hey everyone! Thanks for reading so far, chapter 4 will be coming soon! This is my first fic, so <strong>PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE<strong> review it? Tell me whether you liked it or not, and if you have some tips, they would be welcome anytime! I won't get any better if I don't know what you all think!

Anyway, I hope you liked it, Monique is in a shitload of trouble now, ain't she?


	4. Chapter 4: I Told You Not To

Chapter 4: I told you not to

She would never forget the expression on Dante's face.  
>It was a mixture of lust and pure hunger.<br>"Oh, shiiiiiiiiit…." She muttered.  
>Dante was frozen in one place, his chest heaving up and down, baring his teeth at her. It was as if he wasn't sure what he should do at that moment… Whether he should attack to kill or attack to harm?<br>A low growl came from his throat.  
>Monique thought fast.<br>She took a hand full of the perfume and threw it straight at Dante, splashing him in the face.  
>"Aah!" He let out and brought his hand to his eye as he fell back a few steps.<br>Monique quickly jumped out of the tub and pushed past him through the door. She ran full speed toward the stairs, desperately trying not to slip, as she was soaked through from the perfume.  
>She tried hard not to think about what would happen if she fell…<br>He was either going to rape her, or kill her… probably both…  
>Behind her she heard quick and heavy thuds, and she knew Dante was coming after her.<br>Normally she would have stayed calm, as she knew what to do with a demon that was driven wild by the scent on her body... but this was no demon…  
>This was Dante… THE Dante… The son of Sparda himself.<br>With his raw intoxication by the perfume, he was still human enough to concentrate on calculating his moves.  
>He was a man who was skilled in her profession in ways she could only dream about.<br>If she didn't play this carefully, she was going to die a violent death at his hands.  
>She ran up the stairs by taking two at a time, thinking for a second that she felt like a sorority girl in a horror movie.<br>By the time she was at the top Dante was already two steps behind her, and she could hear his heavy breathing as he stretched out an arm, trying to grab her by the waist.  
>She took one giant leap, slamming the iron door that lead to her basement in his face and turning the knob to lock it immediately.<br>She shut him in.  
>She fell back onto the floor… shocked that she had actually survived, and was just about to exhale when a loud bang came from the door, nearly breaking it from its frame.<br>She got up quickly and started to run again just as Dante kicked the door out, flinging it across the room.  
>Monique made a break for her back door and threw herself out of her house, running straight into the small forest behind her house.<br>She secretly thanked the heavens that she lived a few miles out of town, otherwise who knows what Dante could've done to everyone!  
>The night was dark and icy on her skin, but she kept running as fast as she could carry herself.<br>_Don't look back… don't look back…_

After she ran for a long time, she finally stopped to catch her breath. She looked around frantically for a sign of anyone following her.  
>The forest was silent.<br>Even though she just ran a few miles, she was freezing.  
>Her wet clothes clung to her body and dripped a small trail of perfume behind her as she started walking in the direction she was running in, away from her own house. She knew she had to keep moving.<br>She started going in the direction to another hideout no one knew about.  
>This was where she kept her heavy machinery. Yes, she had her own weapons.<br>There was no way a woman could be in this business without some heavy guns on her side.  
>It was all being held in an abandoned underground club. It used to be a popular place to party, but got so infamous after it became a hotspot for stoners and prostitutes that the local police had to close it down.<br>After that she bought the property and converted it into a storage facility for her more serious equipment.  
>She only took a few steps when she heard a twig crack.<br>She spun around, alarmed. No one.  
>She turned back… and found herself face to face with Dante himself.<br>Monique let out a small shriek, but before she could do anything, he had already grabbed her by her shoulders and pushed her against a tree with a massive force.  
>In the dark she could barely make out his facial expression.<br>His strong hands were crushing her shoulders so hard she felt as though they were about to crumble.  
>She closed her eyes… even in all her experience with demons and fighting, there was nothing she could do without killing herself in the proses.<br>She was cold, unarmed and soaked with lusty perfume that drove this powerful man in front of her to his very limits.  
>Monique could only feel his hot, steamy breath in her face. She decided she wasn't going down without a fight... even if she was going to die.<br>_Well… I've lived a full life…_ she thought. _Guess its better to burn out than to fade away, right?_  
>She mustered up her strength, lifted her knee and kicked him in the groin as hard as she could. Demon or not, no man can take that!<br>His grip on her shoulders loosened as he let out a loud groan. She used this opportunity to slip out from under him and ran in the direction of a small dam nearby. It was the best way to throw him off her trail, as she realised that he was probably smelling her out.  
>The perfume was hard to miss.<br>Her eyes widened as she heard a gunshot behind her, and realised that Dante probably still had his weapons with him. She moved sideways immediately after noticing this, trying to move behind as many trees as possible. There had to be a way to shake him off.  
>Monique had to look back, and was horrified to see that he was less than a few feet away, running after her at an impossible speed.<br>She wouldn't make it to the water in time... even though it was only a few seconds away.  
>At that moment Dante grabbed her by her soaked shirt.<br>She pulled a desperate stunt.  
>Stopping dead in her tracks, she allowed a surprised Dante to surpass her.<br>Not letting go of her shirt, the two were flung into the water.  
>It was impossibly cold, and Monique had a hard time trying to get to the surface. She couldn't see anything, and didn't know where Dante was either.<br>The icy water consumed her, and she was too tired to swim.  
>The darkness that enveloped her, was welcomed happily.<p>

Whoohoo! Chapter 4 is up!  
>Hope you enjoyed! Please keep reviewing, I love hearing from you guys! Tell me what you think!<br>And if you have any tips or so, please don't hesitate to tell, I appreciate honesty!  
>Thanks to the 3 ppl who reviewed chapter 3 :D you guys are awesome! (the one about the chastity belt was really funny XD)<p> 


	5. Chapter 5: Not a Very Smart Move

Chapter 5: Not a very smart move

Dante was walking around the house quietly, looking for something that could point the way towards a space that would indicate a laboratory. He knew he'd be in deep shit if Monique caught him exploring it, but how cool is a secret lab? Especially the 'secret' part.  
>He already searched the living room, bathrooms, kitchen and porch. He couldn't find anything. Just as he was about to give up and go back to bed, he spotted another door just behind a strategically placed potted plant. It was situated in a dark corner, thus not making it that easy to notice. Dante grinned.<br>"Found it," he murmured and moved the plant to take a better look.  
>It was made form a strong type of iron. This had to be it. He flipped the handle. It slid open. She had left it unlocked, the poor naïve little girl.<br>"Not a very smart move babe…." Dante pushed it open further to reveal a descending stairwell. He knew he shouldn't go down there, as it would be rude. He was a rough guy, but he wasn't an asshole. It would really upset her if he did go down there.  
>But… he didn't have to go INSIDE the place, did he? Just a peek would be fine… He had to see it…<br>Just one look and then back to his room. She wouldn't even know!  
>He snuck down the dark stairwell, careful not to make any noise.<br>Halfway down he noticed it. That smell…  
>It had to be the perfume she used on him! Dante instinctively covered his nose. He knew it had an effect on him, and he couldn't blow his cover like an idiot now.<br>Just one look…. The perfume was also very inviting… It was almost calling to him.  
>But he was just going to see what's in there, he kept telling himself.<br>He finally reached the bottom of the stairs and found a door at the end of the hallway.  
>The smell grew stronger.<br>He moved towards the door. The perfume hung heavily in the air now. But it wasn't that bad, was it? If he wasn't intoxicated by it when he stood outside the room, he could handle it couldn't he? Besides, he's dealt with worse, hasn't he?  
>He took his hands away from his nose…<br>He nearly coughed as he took a deep breath. The stuff was stronger than he thought.  
>He immediately wanted to cover his nose again…. But he couldn't.<br>The perfume smelt so good… He didn't want it to go away…  
>Before he knew it, he took another deep breath, this time inhaling it through his nose.<br>His pulse quickened.  
>Another deep breath.<br>His head started to spin, making him dizzy.  
>It was as if every cell in his skin was burning with a need for… something… he didn't know what… but his brain told him it was in that lab…<br>He knew he shouldn't go in… She would be so pissed at him… But he had to follow the perfume!  
>He could pretend he needed something… She would be angry at first, but she'd cool off.<br>Dante couldn't resist the urge anymore. He pushed the door open.  
>"Hey, Babe!" he let out.<br>He felt something hit the door as he opened it, and heard a loud splash.  
>The next sensation smashed into him like a truck.<br>The smell pushed so hard into him it overwhelmed his nostrils and burned his throat.  
>It was as if everything around him turned black and white.<br>He turned to face the woman next to him.  
>He clothes clung to her body, the wet fabric allowed him to see every curve and shape of her body.<br>Her chest seemed to heave up and down in slow motion, her whole body shivering and shaking.  
>Her eyes were wide, her lips parted, her hair cascading down her shoulders, clinging to her face.<br>The sight over her made him feel so many things. Lust, hunger, pain and thirst were only a few of the things he felt at that moment.  
>Suddenly something came up into his mind.<br>_I'll eat you up  
>I'll eat you up<br>_The words played over and over in his mind. He suddenly knew what he wanted._  
>Like I've become some kind of demon in the night…<br>You look so tasty and I could eat you up alive  
><em>The demon in him knew what he wanted.  
><em>I'll eat you up<br>I'll eat you up  
><em>His mouth started watering.  
>Suddenly she moved. He felt a stinging pain in his eyes. The perfume was in his face! He couldn't take it.<br>_I'll eat you up  
>I'll eat you up<br>_He let out a loud cry and brought his hands to his face to wipe off the excess perfume.  
>He felt her move past him. He needed her. He immediately started following her.<br>The only things he could remember after that included the burning sensation in his body, the scared and desperate look on her face and his horrible, insatiable hunger. He also remembered the melody playing over and over in his head:  
><em>I'll eat you up<br>(your love your love)  
>I'll eat you up<br>(your love your love)  
>(Woah)<br>I'll eat you up  
>(Woah)<br>So yum yum  
>(Woah)<br>Can't get enough  
>(Woah oh oh)<br>I think I'm in love…  
><em>The memory ended with an extremely cold plunging into a small dam of icy water.

Dante opened his eyes. It didn't take him long to notice he was underwater. It was freezing cold. He quickly came up for air and took a deep, shivering breath when he finally reached the surface. He coughed a few times to get rid of the dirty dam water he swallowed. Why was he in the water…? Then his memory came flooding back to him…  
>How did he end up in an icy dam?<br>Where was the girl?  
>Did he…?<br>Dante immediately started looking around, alarmed at the thought at what he might have done. He knew it was only natural for the demonic nature in him to hurt her in that way, but he never wanted to do that to someone innocent and who didn't deserve it. That just wasn't him.  
>"Fuck…" he let out. He couldn't see anything in the dark. He had to try and sense where she was…. And tried to notice any sign of heat in the water. Just then something caught his attention. He heard some bubbles surface a small distance from him.<br>He knew it had to be her. He could still smell a hint of the perfume emanating from that area. He swam to where it came from and started to dive.  
>His guess was correct.<p>

The icy water consumed her, and she was too tired to swim.  
>The darkness that enveloped her, was welcomed happily.<br>She knew what was happening… she was drowning. It was actually quite interesting to experience it. She couldn't swim upwards, she was too cold and too tired from all the running. After a while… she just went numb, which was pleasing, as she couldn't feel the cold anymore. All the while she could just feel herself sinking.  
>Sinking lower… and lower… and lower…<br>Until she landed on something soft.  
>Was heaven soft? Or was this just the dying part? Dying was a surprisingly calm act.<br>She moved around to explore the warm fuzziness more… and opened her eyes.  
>Heaven was her bedroom.<br>Wait… her bedroom?  
>Then she remembered. The perfume! The forest! Dante!<br>How did she end up in her bedroom?  
>She looked down on herself… The only thing she was wearing was her panties!<br>Her eyes widened.  
>"SHIT!" she yelled as she covered herself with her duvet. How could this happen? Did he…? He could've… The damn perfume!<br>"Shit! Shit! Shit!" She wrapped the blanket around her and stood up to go look for some clothes.  
>"Good morning," came his voice from behind her. She spun around. Dante was leaning in the doorway.<br>"YOU!" she hissed. "What did you do to me?"  
>He frowned and looked away. Monique went to sit on the bed again, brought her hand to her forehead and said: "Please tell me that I at least put up a small amount of resistance…"<br>Dante chuckled.  
>"Are you kidding, Babe? You begged me for it."<br>Monique felt her face turn bright red and looked down shamefully to the floor.  
>"Oh, no! This can't be happening!"<br>"Yeah," Dante smirked, still looking away. "You threw me on the bed and everything… all I had to do was lie there and smile."  
>"WHAT?" she screamed.<br>"Chill out, Babe. I was just kidding." This time Dante turned around to face the hallway. "I dragged you out of the water and carried you home. I had to get you out of those clothes, otherwise you would've gotten pneumonia or something'."  
>"Oh… you shouldn't joke like that… I thought you were serious…" Monique replied as she tightened the duvet around her a little more.<br>Dante shrugged, his back still turned to her. "You should learn to lighten up, don't you think?"  
>"I'm fine just the way I am, thank you very much! Hey, what's with the cold shoulder?" she asked.<br>"What do you mean?"  
>"Why won't you look at me?" she asked.<br>"Uh… you still smell like that other stuff you fell into. It's not really a good idea for me to face you right now."  
>She tightened the covers around her.<br>"Oh…. We'll talk about all that in just a minute… Let me just get dressed first… I would appreciate it if you'd leave the…" Her words were cut short as she saw Dante turn around. The look he gave her was serious and demanding, yet playful and sexy at the same time. Wait… did she just think of the words 'sexy' and Dante together? Well, she had to admit she's always liked Dante… he was her idol after all… it was like a nerd meeting Einstein. Of course he stirred stuff within her!  
>The she realized she was staring at him. Lost in thought.<br>She quickly recovered.  
>"HEY! I need to get dressed! LEAVE!"<p>

Helloooooo! I apologize for this one taking so long! I was right in the middle of exams! Anyway, this chapter was meant to tell a little bit of the experience from Dante's pov, and to let the reader know that she didn't drown XD PLEASE read and review again, i'm super excited every time i get a review alert! Its AWESOME to hear from everyone! Don't worry, the next one won't take this long! :D have a great daaaaaay! hoping to hear from all of you! peace out!


	6. Chapter 6: Don't It's too easy

Chapter 6: Don't… It's too easy

…

A/N:

Whoohoo! Another chapter up, hope you like this one!

A few quick notes though: One of my readers asked on which dmc game this story is based on, and it is based on the younger Dante just after **DMC3**, thanks for your awesome review o0CrimsonsDragon0o! :D

I also wanted to thank uchihapride98632 for naming me a favourite author :D I'm VERY flattered!

…..

"Can't you put your coat on?"

"It's like a thousand degrees in here!"  
>"Open a window or somethin'!"<p>

"You open a window!"

If Dante wasn't so irritated by the smell of the demon bait perfume still emanating from Monique, he might have chuckled at the pout she gave him. It was hard for him to concentrate on the road when that stuff was in the air. He tried focusing on the steering wheel in front of him.  
>The car sped past numerous trees and houses as they drove the way that led downtown, where the burlesque lounge was situated. The sun was setting quickly, and nightfall wasn't too far away.<p>

Dante opened a window.

"You sure that stuff can't come off more?" he asked, frowning.

"I've already scrubbed myself raw! I took three showers!" Monique scowled at him.

"Well, you still reek of that stuff."

Monique sighed.

"Speaking of that STUFF, Dante… We need to talk about what happened last night."

It was Dante's turn to sigh. He couldn't believe she was so calm about the situation. He knew he almost killed her. The whole thing was his stupid fault.

"Okay…" he said. "Do you want me to start?"

"No," Monique said. "I think I should be the one to say something first."

Dante nodded.

"First of all…" Monique began.

SMACK!

"Ow!" Dante cried out as she hit him on his head, nearly running the car off the road as he swung forward to miss out on another blow.

"You IDIOT!" she cried. "Didn't I tell you NOT to come into my bloody laboratory? If you actually listened to me like a good little boy we wouldn't be in this fucking mess! If you let me get on with my work in peace I wouldn't be looking for a new door, or be on the verge of pneumonia and I wouldn't have to keep staring at that 'Oh-my-gosh-you-smell-like-PUKE' expression on your face!"

"You don't smell like puke…" Dante tried.

"I know I don't smell like puke, Son of bloody Sparda! To you I smell like an all-you-can-eat buffet, don't I? The damn perfume has a different effect on you! And now I have no idea how you're going to react to it tonight! But we wouldn't be in all this trouble if you had just listened!"

Dante kept quiet while the woman had her outburst. The back of his head still throbbed where she hit him. He had taken harder hits, but she had surprising strength for her small size.

"I know, Babe…" he began again. "Look, it was the perfume, okay? I just wanted to see if you were actually serious about the whole lab thing… I wasn't going to go in or anything… but the perfume made me… I didn't mean to be such an ass about the whole thing, okay?" Dante kept focusing on the road. He wasn't used to explaining himself or saying sorry. But he knew he had crossed the line with this whole perfume thing.

"I'm really sorry. If I could do it over, I would," he ended.

Monique kept staring at him. After what seemed to Dante like an eternity, she sighed and slouched back into her car seat.

"Well, we can't do anything to change what happened, now can we?" she said carefully. "It won't help if I keep shouting at you either."

"Yeah, well…"

"I suppose now you'd like me to explain to you how all this works?" Monique asked. "The perfume, I mean? Why it had that effect on you."

Neither of them looked at each other. She continued.

"Well… in a nutshell… the perfume has separate effects on demons and humans. To a demon, its bait, to the extent that after undergoing the hypnosis I administer afterwards it weakens its logic and is controlled by whatever thoughts I put into its head. If the scent is fresh or if the exposure to it is prolonged, the demon loses control very easily and follows the bait blindly."

When she mentioned hypnosis, Dante remembered the sweet little tune that kept playing into his head after that night… _'I'll eat you up…I'll eat you up…' _

He pulled another face as the scent filled his nose again. It was sickeningly sweet, and horribly pleasuring to his senses.

"And to humans," she continued. "It works as an interesting aphrodisiac."

Dante nodded understandingly, holding his breath a little bit every few seconds to escape the smell.

"And me, being both human and demon, endures a doubled effect from it…?"

"Looks like it."

In the corner of her eye Monique saw Dante smile coyly.

"So if I jump you, it wouldn't be my fault then would it?"

"Watch it, Don Juan. You're a little more in control now, so keep it in your pants, won't you?" Monique said sharply.

Dante kept holding his breath for another few seconds, but still kept his grin.

"One more thing," she turned to look at him then. "I woke up naked this morning… but I seemed unharmed… why was that?"

Dante cleared his throat.

"I've handled worse than your creepy little perfume, babe."

As he said this, he glanced at his knuckles. Luckily for him, the marks where he had to hit something in order to divert his attention and frustration were gone, leaving no clues for the lady next to him to figure out what effect the whole night really had on him. _Lucky demon me_.

But she seemed to be satisfied with his response.

Just then she bent over to reach for her handbag, the scent came back, making Dante sick to his stomach. He accidentally made a gagging noise.

"For goodness' sake!" she snapped. "It's not that bad!"

"Put your fucking coat back on, Woman!"

Dante was glad to get out of the car. The perfume was getting to be too much of a burden. It irritated him and gave him a strange sort of fever. The smell was sweet enough to put into vinegar to turn it back into grape juice. He hated it.

Monique was back in the dressing room, getting ready.

He was happy about that.

The plan they were supposed to follow was fairly simple. Monique would do her sexy little song and dance all over again and lure the demon into the same alleyway where she fought Dante.

He would then handle the demon.

After that they would receive their wages, say goodbye, and Dante would be rid of the woman and her perfume.

_The hot… curvy… luxurious… woman…_

Dante had to snap out of it. Soon he'd be rid of her.

The music started playing in the club. Dante recognized it and chuckled. He had to give it to her. She was good at what she did. Of course he'd kick her ass, but then again, he could kick anyone's ass. _Great_, Dante thought_, I'm back to thinking about her ass! _

It was cold outside, he could see his own breath in the dull moonlight.

Then she started singing again.

He forgot how her voice sounded. It was chocolaty, velvety and had the same sweet hue as the perfume.

He was taken back to that night.

She was warm, vibrant… and absolutely beautiful.

It was a type of beautiful that was rich, wealthy and almost unapproachable. It was something that was supposed to be looked at, but never to be touched.

He wasn't very used to women that took so much care of themselves.

He allowed himself to think about her in that way, just to see how it felt in his head. He liked it. Somewhere he imagined the perfume on her smiling at this.

The way her corset hugged every curve… the way the lace looked against her bare skin… her voluptuous red lips… he wondered what those lips felt like…

His thoughts were broken by a series of gasps and girly screams coming from inside the club. He turned around to see what the problem was.  
>The power was out. The whole building was dark.<br>"Crap," Dante muttered. He took out Ebony and Ivory simultaneously, and ran straight into the Lounge.

The lights went out very suddenly while she was still in the middle of her performance. Monique was immediately on her guard as this happened. She knew the demon they were after was in the room, she struggled to pinpoint the exact man though. All of the men in the room looked the same: Lusty, saggy fatcats. All of them were rich men who were obviously bored of their snobby wives and money counting.

She felt the demon moving in the dark chaos of the club.

The whole place had launched into a fun game of pinching and groping for the old men and the ladies of the lounge. As she moved through the crowd, she felt a few hands on herself as well. She would have loved to slap the men who tried their luck, but didn't have the time.

She could feel the demon pushing past everyone towards the cold night air outside, where she knew he would be met by Dante.

But the demon didn't leave the room.

She was confused, until she could sense it moving towards her. It must've picked up her scent.

Monique immediately pushed past the laughing men and women towards the door that led to the alleyway. She had to get to Dante to warn him about the demon staying inside and going after her. If it didn't get out soon, it would be mixed up in the middle of all those people!

She gave one final push and tasted fresh air as she fell out of the doorway.

"Dante!" she called, looking around. He was standing next to a broken lamppost a small distance from where she was.

"The demon is still inside, we have to get him out of there or slay him on the spot, but I think it's too dangerous…" she quickly began. Dante stood silently, folding his arms.

She walked over to him.

"Hey, wake up! We need to get in there!" she yelled at him.

He still remained silent. Only a wide grin spread across his young face.

"What the fuck, Dante?" she ranted. What bloody game is he playing now?

"Well, if you're going to stand there like a bloody idiot, I'm going to help those people!" She turned around and ran towards the door, only to find herself running straight into Dante. He went to stand between her and the door.

"Let me pass, Dante, or else…" she warned. "What's WITH YOU?"

She was caught off guard as he grabbed her around her waist and pulled her close, leaning in for what would obviously be a kiss. This was met with a slap to the face.

"Listen, YOU! I don't need to deal with your fucking perfume issues right now, got it?" She tried loosening his arms from her waist, but he wouldn't let go. By the time she was squirming, he tightened his grip and moved his mouth towards her neck.

When she felt this, she started making rough, vicious efforts to shake him off.

By the time the kissing in her neck became biting that started to hurt, she yelled:

"That's IT!"

From her boot she slipped out a long, sharp dagger the length of her forearm and shoved it into his shoulder. She heard a cry come from him, muffled by her neck, and twisted the blade continuously until his grasp on her slackened. Using all of her strength, she pushed him off.

"You want to dance? I'll dance!" she held the dagger in front of her, one hand on the hilt of the weapon and the other on the sore bruise on her neck.

Dante chuckled in a low, hollow voice and lunged at her.

The speed he moved at was fast and his moves were swift when he jumped forward with his two hands aiming to grasp around her neck.

She came with the same speed, aiming the dagger at the same shoulder wound. He missed, and she was spot on. He cried out again and she used the moment to kick his legs out from under him. She had to fight with every ounce of strength she had, and play at every advantage her small size gave her, as Dante was a heavy, strong man.

As he fell onto the hard pavement with a massive blow, she got behind him and stabbed him dangerously close to his spine. While he crouched in pain, she took another opportunity to kick him in his stomach.

"Bitch!" he groaned as he rolled over and got up. The look on his face was lusty and vicious.

It was strange that Dante wasn't using any of his weapons… If he pulled out his guns he could easily take her down? She ran towards him once again.

His arm came faster than she could see and knocked her wind out as it bashed against her body in a horrifying amount of strength. She felt something break.

"Aaah!" She cried out in pain, but still remained alert with the dagger stretched out in front of her. Shit, she thought, Dante was actually going to do this. She couldn't kill him! She can't do that to him? It was kill or be killed.

She only had one option left.

Over the years training to use a dagger in combat, she was taught to forsake the awkward way a woman's arm moved when throwing a weapon.

She mustered up all of her strength and threw the long dagger through the air, hearing the howl the blade made as it spun towards Dante.

The blade dove in straight through his neck. A bull's eye.

Dante fell down on his knees before her, clutching the hilt of the dagger.

She ran over to him.

"I'm sorry, Dante, I didn't know what else…" she started anxiously, fumbling around her outfit for a potion that would help him heal before he died.

A bloody finger came to her lips, shushing her.

"I'm sorry, Babe…" he whispered in a hoarse voice. "It was the perfume…"

"I know, I know! Just let me put something on that…" she tried again.

"Hey… come here…"

And before she knew it, she was caught in the moment. She and Dante were making out in the alleyway of the street they met in. She knew it wasn't a good idea, but she had such a crush on him! Wasn't she too old for crushes? She was only 22 after all.

She finally let the teenage girl in her take over, giggled and deepened the kissing.

Before she knew it, she was on top of him, making out furiously, while his hands rested on her backside.

"AHEM." They both looked up.

The burlesque lounge's power came back up.

In the light of the windows that reflected on the outside, stood another life-sized Dante.

"What the…?" she started, but was suddenly flung from one Dante toward another, hitting him with a blow that hurt her more than when the first of her ribs broke when Dante hit her across the stomach. Another crack.

She and the other Dante fell onto the floor with this blow and tumbled over each other.

"Stay here!" The Dante next to her said and sped on after the one with her dagger still lodged into his neck.

Suddenly she realized what had happened.

"OH, NOOOOOOOOOOO!" She groaned into her hands, blushing furiously.

She made out with the actual DEMON! And Dante CAUGHT her making out with HIMSELF!

"Someone, please wake me up from this nightmare!" she groaned. Now he actually KNEW she liked him! After that giant speech she gave him about keeping it in his pants, he saw that she couldn't keep it in hers… And now he found out in the worst way EVER.

When Dante came back, it was obvious he didn't know which joke in his head to crack first.

Monique glared at him:

"Say… ANYTHING… and I'll rip your spleen out through your foot!"

Dante started laughing.

"Oh, c'mon Babe! You did have it coming you know… telling me to keep it in my pants and all that?"

Monique let her face fall into her hands.

"DON'T. It's just too easy!"

….

There we are! I hope u liked it! Please r&r on this one? I would really like to hear what you all thought! The next chapter will be up very soon :D Have an awesome day!


	7. Chapter 7: Hell to pay

Author's note: My sincerest apologies for the errors in spacing and punctuation! I assure everyone that it was a technical mistake on my computer! I've just spent the last few hours on my blackberry typing everything back, I hope its better now! A special thankyou to the commenters who let me know about this :) here is the new version, enjoy!

Chapter 7: Hell To Pay

"Hmmmf... Shut upfff...!"  
>Monique spat another mouthful of toothpaste into the sink of the public bathroom. They were lucky enough to find a drugstore open at this hour so she could stock up on a toothbrush, toothpaste and mouthwash.<br>"This fucking sucks," she added with a foamy mouth.  
>"No," Dante put his head around the corner to stare at her with an insolent smile."This fucking feels like Christmas, Babe!" He burst into laughter yet again. "Oh, please! What pick up line did I use on you? Did I manage to keep everything in my pants? Oh, no, wait! Any tips? How would you rate me?"<br>Monique took another swig of mouthwash.  
>"Insolent fool," she mumbled. When she was done sanitising where no damn demon has gone before, she was going to kick his ass, she thought as she shoved the cheap toothbrush into her mouth again.<br>As if one cue, another smug comment came from the corner: "So... am I hot or what, eh?"  
>In a few seconds she reached him. "THAT'SH IT! How would YOU like shome demon shpit in YOUR mouth...!" She yelled with a foamy voice as she tried to shove the toothbrush into his mouth, without much success.<br>Dante started laughing, but when he caught yet another whiff of her smell, he let go and said: "We should've gotten you some deodorant while we were at it!"  
>Monique glared at him.<br>"Both of us might lose our jobs tonight, you know that right? If anyone else is attacked..."  
>"Whatever is attacking those girls is long gone by now. I took care of that. The only thing we can do now is go stake out at that club and see if the fucker comes back for more." Monique nodded and went to wash the rest of the toothpaste out of her mouth.<br>"In all seriousness, this creature is obviously pretty smart," Dante added as she came out of the bathroom and fastened her velvet coat. "There are a lot of shape shifters out there, but I think this one is after something else..."  
>"What do you mean?" she asked and leaned against the car.<br>"I mean it had a whole house full of ladies to hunt in the dark, but it was outside instead, after you..." Dante mused. |  
>Monique rolled her eyes.<br>"Isn't that where the perfume comes in, Genius?"  
>"I thought about that at first, but how did it know exactly what you were capable of, and how did it know exactly what you wanted...?" Dante folded his arms.<br>"What do you mean it knew exactly what I wanted?" She asked sharply.  
>Dante grinned, knowing he pushed a button. He was going to enjoy playing this for a little while. She played right into his hands with this one.<br>"Well, I found myself straddled with my hands on your ass..." He pretended to think hard. "If I didn t know any better, I'd say you made it pretty clear what you wanted..." "Listen here," Monique snapped. "One more crack like that... and I'll..."  
>Dante took a deep breath and held it as he put both arms out to her sides against the car, trapping her between them. "You'll what, Babe?"<br>For a moment she seemed caught off guard. "I'll... I'll..." Then she recovered. "I'll kick your ass!"  
>Dante put his hand on his hip and snapped his finger in the air as he said in a high voice: "That sounds fierce, doll! I'm so scared!"<br>She pushed past him and went to the other side of the car, sinking into a deeper sulk.  
>Dante chuckled at her pout and said: "Fine, I'll stop for a little while."<br>Monique continued to ignore him.  
>"Aw, c'mon, Babe! You know you have to take what you can dish out, right?" He went to stand next to her. She looked away.<br>"You know... I'm very flattered that you like me..." Dante added. "It's good to know that I can get a girl as hot and classy as you..." He soothed in a syrupy tone.  
>Her expression relaxed as she glanced over to his side.<br>He grinned, and continued the flattery.  
>"It was really hard for me not to ask you out when I met you... but I respect you too much to compromise your professionalism..."<br>He knew he did the trick when one of the corners of her mouth lifted. He knew women. They responded well to this type of stuff.  
>"That's a good girl. Now let's discuss work. We need to figure out what this demon wants that you have."<br>Monique looked thoughtful. "I think I might have an idea..."

Dante opened the pizza box, filling the car with its sweet, garlicky aroma.  
>They were parked in front of the burlesque lounge, waiting on anything suspicious.<br>"Want one?" Dante offered her a slice.  
>She turned up her nose at the molding, ill-scented piece of edible cardboard.<br>"Fattening crap. It's disgusting. I'm not hungry." She folded her arms over her chest.  
>Dante raised his eyebrows when he heard her stomach growl.<br>"C'mon," he waved the slice in her face. "It's yummy... and we haven't eaten in a long time..."  
>She grimaced, but still took it from him.<br>"So," Dante started, his mouth full of pizza, "what do you think this demon wants?" Monique stared out in front of her.  
>Then she looked at him.<br>"Not many people know of the Du Beaumonts, the family I come from."  
>She sighed.<br>"We are a family whose bloodline goes back centuries, to the time when demons were seen as vampires and werewolves. It started when Andre du Beaumont, a duke from Bordeaux, found his daughter raped and murdered by a demon. The man went mad with fury and anguish, and locked himself in his manor, chasing away anyone who dared disturb his solitude, the only exception of this being his poor wife, Brigitte."  
>She took a small bite of the pizza and chewed for a few seconds.<br>"What no one else knew was that du Beaumont was experimenting with the occult. Some say he cast a powerful, holy spell on himself and his sons, some say he made a deal with God. But from then on, any du Beaumont with the bloodline of Andre de Beaumont possessed a pure, concentrated power that could overpower almost any demonic force. It was a demon opposition movement. This power happened to be hereditary. Ever since then the du Beaumonts were schooled in the history and art of overpowering demons, knowledge being passed down from generation to generation. We are a very rich family, and still consider ourselves aristocrats among the masses."  
>She took another bite.<br>Dante furrowed his brow. "And why haven't I seen this power from you?"  
>She sighed.<br>"I didn t inherit it..."  
>Dante nodded in understanding. Monique continued.<br>"See, my family was quite particular about themselves. When they realised I wasn't one of them, they suspected the worst. My father accused my mother of infidelity. After that I was seen as an embarrassment to their precious family name. I was treated with pity and was seen as weak. Hunting demons was the only thing I really wanted to do anyway, and I was determined to do it. As soon as I could, I left."  
>She took out the lighter he saw her play with the first time they met, and flicked it open and closed repeatedly.<br>"And no matter how hard I've tried, I've always been weaker and... human. People hire me for my family's reputation, and are often disappointed to find out I m not as tough as they say. I've failed quite a few times."  
>She sniffed.<br>Dante didn't quite know what to do here.  
>He knew he should try to console her or something, but she might think he was taking advantage of her. He didn t want anymore awkwardness between them. When she looked down he knew he had to do something. He reached over and pulled her head on his shoulder whilst sliding his arm behind her neck. He tried to ignore the sweet smell in her hair.<br>"Go on," he urged.  
>"Well... I think if this demon wants anything, it could be the power I never got. If that's the case, he came a long way for nothing."<p>

When they got home, Monique was still pissed off at Dante's constant nagging.  
>She pushed the door open a little harder than usually and strode with heavy steps to her door.<br>She had to sit through a whole three hours of Dante trying her that she doesn t need to do this to validate herself.  
>As if she needed someone to tell her that.<br>She tried telling herself that so many times. As if she could be convinced.  
>"No, really," he added. "You know you're not your family..."<br>She spun around. "Listen," she spoke dangerously slow. "I know what I'm doing, and I know how to handle this. I'll be fine with this demon who's after me, and I don't need help!"  
>Dante sighed, clearly frustrated. "Look, Babe, I know how you feel..."<br>It was then that she snapped.  
>"Look, DUDE, you don't know! You... you're everything! You're a damn legend!"<br>Dante's face darkened. "You think I care about that crap? Reputation and shit? I didn t make my reputation, I was labelled too, you know! Power means nothing if you don t want it, or don't know how to control it! I fight cause that's what I live for, not what I m built for! You re just too arrogant to admit you re doing this for everyone but yourself!"  
>"Go to hell!" she shouted, and slapped him cleanly through the face.<br>He rubbed where her hand struck.  
>"Well, BABE, I'd love to go to hell, but fortunately for you I'm already here!"<br>Then he turned and stormed off into the forest surrounding her small house.  
>She slammed the door.<br>"Arrogant bastard!"  
>Somewhere at the exact same time, Dante mumbled:<br>"Arrogant bitch."

Sobbing in her room, she heard the door creak open.  
>A chill ran up her spine for some reason, as a shadow passed her room.<br>She jumped off her bed, and moved over to her door.  
>As the house went dark and cold, the door slid open.<br>At the end of the hallway, a moonlit figure grinned menacingly at her, as if expecting her.  
>"Dante, you son of a bitch!" she yelled as he revealed himself under the moonlight.<br>"Sorry, Babe, didn't mean to scare ya..." He moved closer to her. "Listen, Honey, I'm sorry about what I said... I didn't mean to hurt your feelings..."  
>She lifted an eyebrow.<br>"Oh... uh... okay... yeah sure..."  
>Dante pouted. "Hug it out?" he held out his arms.<br>Now Monique was suspicious...Why?  
>Reason one... Dante doesn't hug people...<br>Reason two... Dante doesn't apologize... sincerely that is...  
>And reason three... Where did the scar on his neck come from...?<br>Suddenly it dawned on her... She put on her cutest face.  
>"Well, since we re okay again... I guess you can make it up to me in another way..."<br>The creature who looked like Dante smiled.  
>"Just give me five minutes..." she winked.<p>

After about an hour, Dante came into the house. He still felt bad about what happened, but he had nowhere else to go for the night.  
>Something was different though. It was cold... too cold. He knew this feeling all too well. He ran up the stairs, following the cold trail left behind by the unspeakable creature.<br>He hoped the girl was okay...  
>And then he saw it... It was huge and black with red eyes... with horns spreading through the very width of the hallway...<br>Then... as fate would have it... the idiot woman appeared in her door, wearing absolutely NOTHING.  
>Fuck, he breathed. A fresh burst of perfume hit him dead in the face. She didn't seem to notice the demonous figure as it slid back into the darkness.<br>"Babe..." he tried. "You shouldn't have done that..."  
>A sick feeling pushed up into his throat. Before he knew it, his whole body was burning. He felt himself grow taller, and change. Looking down at his hands, he saw them sharpen, and tremble as they turned into claws. He knew what was happening to him.<br>This was his demon form.  
>It was the last thought he had, before everything else disappeared.<p>

A/N: I m so sorry I took this long! Please R&R... *puppy eyes*


	8. Chapter 8: Double Trouble

Chapter 8: Double Trouble

A/N: Dear Readers :) Again, I do apologize for the technical error in punctuation and spacing found in my previous chapter. I can assure you that it was an error made by my own pc and that I fixed it! Please feel welcome to re-read it with ease! :D Anyway I figured I'd put in a good fight scene here, enjoy!

She couldn't move.  
>Monique wasn't sure which side to look at first.<br>Her eyes flickered to her left.  
>She thought she had it down this time... He was supposed to be out of the house...<br>This wasn't happening...  
>The demon before her stood tall and fierce. He glowed red and silver, his sleek body looked sinewy and scaly. His eyes shone with power, and every muscle rippled as he shook with anticipation.<br>Unmistakably... This was Dante.  
>Unlike the others she's encountered, this one emanated power and brutality. She knew one thing... If she were to be hurt by this one... it would lead to a painful death.<br>To her right was a huge demon that emanated evil and ferocity, saliva dripping from its sharp illuminated teeth. The hair on the creature's back was standing up, and the holes where its eyes are supposed to be were empty, dark spaces. It had blade-like claws, which were digging into her wooden floors like it was some sort of soft cheese. It was standing on all fours, like a beast preparing itself to charge. It looked like a fierce type of feline.  
>Two of the strongest beasts she's ever known were standing before her.<br>It was a strange thing though.  
>She realized something.<br>She didn't feel fear.  
>She finally knew exactly what she was doing.<br>This was the type of situation she was used to. Demons would be enraged and crazy with the effect of the hypnosis and the perfume.  
>There were no rational thoughts here... no strategy from these two.<br>Her family would be horrified if they found out how she fought in the nude... on more than one occasion she might've added. She wasn't shy about it either; most of the demons she had to use that sort of tactic on didn't live to remember what they saw.  
>It usually worked well. Men go nuts for naked girls with guns. So did demons.<br>And this time she came prepared.  
>Turning on her heel, she made a giant leap for the bed and landed gracefully on it.<br>"All right, Gentlemen," she smirked as she pulled a richly engraved revolver from behind the headboard. "_D'accord, dansons!_" She winked.  
>The interesting firearm made a strange hollow sound as the first shot pulled through the air.<br>The race was on.  
>Dante and the other demon dashed through the door, only to get caught up in each other's way. The demon lifted its giant claw and pulled it straight through Dante's shoulder. Dante responded with a low growl and grabbed the demon by its furry neck.<br>Monique fired another shot, hitting Dante through his wounded shoulder. It was her top priority to fight from a distance, as it only needed to take a single slice to wound her mortally. But she's been in situations like these before.  
>"Don't kill each other!" she yelled as they broke apart, bewildered by the shot between them. "I still need Dante alive after this!"<br>With renewed anger they charged at her with amazing speed.  
>They missed her by an inch as she jumped up and grabbed hold of the chandelier, flinging herself forward.<br>Dante seemed to be more frazzled than the other demon, she noticed, as Dante hit the headboard on her bed.  
>The other creature made a swift turn on her bed, and charged at her. Another bullet hit it in the thigh, making it cringe.<br>Monique quickly fumbled for any type of other weapon or tool in the closet behind her... She knew she had a throwing-star in there somewhere... Aha, she thought as she felt something with metal...  
>and pulled out a bra.<br>"You've got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed.  
>The demon leapt forward, and she had no other choice as it flew at her.<br>With surprising agility, she side-stepped it's massive jaws and pulled the lacy bra over its eyes, pulling the straps around its hairy neck and knotting it instantly.  
>The temporarily blinded demon staggered at this controversial move.<br>Before she shoved the barrel of her gun into its rancid mouth, she added fumingly:  
>"You know, most guys buy me dinner before I let them handle my most expensive lingerie!"<br>The creature made a horrible choking sound as she released a bullet into its gaping maw.  
>It fell to the ground, writhing, and paws clutching its neck.<br>She turned around just in time to see Dante's horrible face draw a vicious expression as he leapt from the bed towards her. He seemed wild and possessed by his own lustful instincts.  
>A lesser person might have fainted at the sight of him.<br>She jumped over to middle of the room, firing another bullet, grazing him on his forehead.  
>Monique rolled over to her bed and crept beside it, hiding from Dante's view.<br>The blood from Dante's forehead impaired his vision as it rushed into his eyes.  
>Monique stood up and made a provocative pose at her mirror in the back of her bedroom.<br>Dante took her bait.  
>Seeing her naked reflection in the mirror, he mistook the image for the real deal.<br>A crashing sound echoed through the whole house as Dante crashed face first into the glassy reflection of her.  
>"Seven years..." she sighed theatrically. "Mirror, mirror on the floor... Should I aim at his backdoor?" She giggled saucily.<br>To her surprise Dante made a swift turn and leapt at her with a snarl.  
>She had to make a quick move.<br>Using all of her experience and practise of gunmanship, she pointed the gun towards his neck.  
>"Aaarrgh!" Dante fell to his knees, uttering that inhuman sound.<br>She sighed with relief... that was close...  
>If Dante wasn't intoxicated by an overdose of he perfume, she wouldn't have stood a chance.<br>Monique heard another growl and turned her head towards the other demon.  
>Slick dark slime was dripping from its mouth, clearly indicating injury of its insides.<br>"Why won't you die?" she snapped.  
>She made a bold move and decided to charge it head on.<br>She remembered that she had no clothes or armour on her body to protect her in any way, thus her moves had to be quick and fatal.  
>As the creature came for her she jumped to push the gun into its mouth one last time.<br>But the demon surprised her.  
>As she fell on it, it went to lie flat on its back.<br>"What the...?"  
>It took her with its hind legs and shoved her over its head.<br>A thousand voices screamed in her head as she flew through the window. The breaking sounds were sharp to her ears.  
>She screamed out as the shards of glass ripped through her skin like knives.<br>Her hand caught the bottom of the window just in time.  
>The leftover glass in the panel dug through her palm, causing bright red blood to go down the length of her arm as she hung two stories above the ground. It wasn't a big fall, but with this demon she couldn't risk it.<br>The demon's eyes shone an eerie gold tone as it towered over her. It was an expression of triumph.  
>When it spoke, it was as if ten different voices were speaking at the same time.<br>"_A caelo usque ad centrum... a capite ad calcem... a posse ad esse... absolutum dominium..._"  
>It was clearly an incantation.<br>Her heart started beating like crazy, and a feeling of claustrophobia rushed over her.  
>What was happening...?<br>"_Eram quod es... eris quod sum..._" The creature lifted a giant claw, clearly getting ready to brutally rip out her heart...  
>She prepared herself for the impact...<br>This was the end... again...  
>Suddenly the demon reared its ugly head backwards, all ten voices screaming in unison.<br>It made her skin crawl.  
>A brilliant white light shone behind its back, making the creature tremble. Its eyes were wild and its face stood rigid.<br>Monique closed her eyes with a mixture of intense frustration and relief.  
>She knew that light.<br>"Don't kill it!" She yelled from where she was hanging. "I still need to know what it wanted with me!"  
>Almost immediately the demon's body relaxed. It was flung out the window like a ragdoll. Monique looked down to the ground. The demon gave her one last look of pure hatred, and then scurried into the small forest.<br>Monique groaned.  
>"Damn it, Andrei!" she exclaimed as her older brother knelt down to drag her up by her bloody arm. "I didn't mean you should let him get away."<br>"Evening, Sister," he averted his eyes when he noticed her lack of clothing. "Still trying out some contentious combating styles, I reckon?"

Dante's eyes drifted open when two fingers pushed into the wound in his neck, causing a shooting pain in that whole area. He still felt drunk and nauseous  
>It was like a bad hangover.<br>"The boy is still alive, I believe. Ah, see?" A deep, male voice reached his ears.  
>The fuzzy figures in front of him became clearer.<br>He noticed Monique, this time wearing some sort of robe, and another man. Who was he?  
>They looked like they were related, he thought.<br>Both of them were dark haired, and had the same full features in their faces. But while she was toned and curvaceous, the guy next to her was straight, heavy and tall. He was wearing a very formal suit, and his hair was slicked back.  
>He spoke with a low, sleepy voice.<br>"Is this really him?"  
>"Yes," Monique replied. She was pouring some sort of oil onto her arms.<br>"Fascinating..." the man took the vile from Monique and started soaking Dante's skin with it.  
>Dante groaned. It hurt like hell.<br>"Looks like I got here just in time," the man said. "You were nearly slashed. Mind filling me in about this whole situation? We can leave him here for now, he'll be fine."  
>Dante closed his eyes and drifted off. He hated feeling so useless.<p>

"The belladonna perfume?" Andrei lifted his eyebrows in surprise.  
>"Yes..." Monique replied as she poured him another shot of brandy. They were sitting on her porch, with the moonlight just illuminating the two lonely figures.<br>"Let me get this straight... You overdosed the poor man? With a perfume that was highly experimental in the first place?" Andrei chuckled. "And now your only plan is to send him home where he came from?"  
>Monique sighed.<br>"It's the only way I can think of fixing this."  
>Andrei put down his glass.<br>"My dear, I've never known you to be such an uncompassionate person. This is surprising me."  
>"What do you mean?"<br>"You know what is happening to the poor boy, don't you?" Andrei turned his head towards the house.  
>"He's sick from the perfume. The sooner he gets away from it, the better." She shrugged.<br>She could just make out his shocked expression in the dark.  
>"Good heavens, no. He's not just sick. He's poisoned... After turning demon, it's obvious that you administered a lethal dosage."<br>"What?"  
>"It's important that this young man receives the proper care, Monique." Andrei leaned back into his chair. "I believe it's your duty to tend to him."<br>"No way!" Monique stood up. "I've already taken enough crap from him! You actually expect me to watch him like a babysitter and play nurse?"  
>"Keep calm, dear."<br>"No!" Monique exclaimed. "I won't do it... He's not my responsibility, Andrei."  
>"How can you say that?" Andrei stood up as well, towering over his sister.<br>To her, he was intimidating enough.  
>"You owe this boy your life. And," he emphasized as she was about to defend herself again, "from what I figured from your little tale at that lounge, you would have been raped and killed if he didn't step in to save your hide. You were misled by the demon at that time weren't you?"<br>Monique hesitated, and then nodded.  
>Andrei continued. "You may have left the house, but you are still a du Beaumont. We put duty and honour before anything else." His words were final.<br>Monique sighed.  
>"Well, then its settled." Andrei took a last swig from his glass. "You should remember that duty is not collective, it is personal."<br>"I hate it when you get like that."  
>"I have to admit this, my dear, but for you to take two demons on your own, I am quite impressed," Andrei mentioned. "I could help with the other creature if you'd like? Although, if it was after your power..."<br>Monique smiled. "...then it came all this way for nothing... I know. I can handle this, believe me. It's good to see you again, Brother. You're the only one who comes to visit, you know. How are Mother and Father?"

"Now, here is a mixture that will help him. Tie up your hair, and wear a coat around the house. Be sure that he takes it regularly." Andrei fastened his coat as they walked towards the street.  
>"How long do I have to do this for?" Monique hugged him.<br>"For him to be back to reality... it can take anything from two weeks to three months, I suppose? Then you can solve the problem with the other demon on your own. I'd also gladly help you."  
>Monique's eyes grew wide.<br>"I have to play his MOTHER for three months?"  
>Andrei kissed her on the cheek. "Also be sure to reimburse him for the fee he could never claim from the burlesque lounge."<br>A vein in Monique's head turned visible.

A/N: Hey hey! What do you think? Another piece to the puzzle! The purpose of this chapter is to fill you guys in on the situation, and also to make you guys curious about what sort of power the du Beaumonts really have ;) Also to show that Monique du Beaumont has a selfish, naive side, indicating that she is still very young and spoiled, which will be an important quality later in the story ;) Read and review if you'd like! I really hope you enjoyed this! 


	9. Chapter 9: Giving Me Fever

**Chapter 9: Giving Me Fever**

His boots made hollow footsteps as he strode gravely through the narrow street. A cold breeze was blowing, pushing the hems of his coat to his sides.

He was so close. So close!

After so many years of searching, it was at the tips of his fingers. His body still ached from the attack the older Du Beaumont boy performed on him.

Ahriman was by nature a patient being. But this was getting preposterous.

He stopped at a small puddle, and bent down to look at his own reflection. He didn't know how long he could keep this up. The eyes looking back at him turned yellow, and the pupils stretched out in length, revealing his true nature. As a demon, his feline features were an advantage when he went into hiding. People usually thought he was some big cat. Ahriman chuckled at this.

Humans are pitiable.

He took out a small journal and turned a few pages, opening at a diagram of the Du Beaumont gene pool. There it was.

He had to have it.

He's just about the only demon that's lived to see what that little gene can do... twice now.

He couldn't believe his damn luck when he found out about Monique du Beaumont... the shameful black sheep of the aristocratic bloodline. Her power never manifested, making everyone speculate that she wasn't a pure relative. But Ahriman knew better. She was unmistakably pure. The features in her face and natural mannerisms she possesses are clear signs of where she comes from. It was obvious the gene had to be there, but never manifested because of other dominant genes.

That defenceless girl would be such an easy target...

He had to pain himself studying human genetics for a long time, in order to write a spell to make it manifest. Then, while the girl doesn't know how to use it, he would transport the gene from her into himself. This would make Ahriman the most powerful demon there is.

His head snapped up as he heard laughing nearby.

"Tom..." she giggled. "Stop it!"

A young couple was walking towards him. The boy's arm was draped over the girl's shoulders. She seemed to be drunk.

"C'mon," the boy pushed a hand up her blouse. "You know you wanna..."

Ahriman licked his lips. XXXXX

"FUCK!"

The wall made a horrible cracking sound as Dante pushed his fist into the bricks. It made the whole house shake for a few whole seconds.

There wasn't a single thing left in his room that wasn't broken anymore. The bed was thrown into pieces against the wall, feathers were lying all over the place and it was hard to miss the powerful claw marks that ripped the dry walling cleanly off the bricks. Even the floor had chucks of concrete removed from it.

Day three. It felt like a week has gone by. He was unusually aggressive and everything bugged him.

Dante was getting frustrated with this crap. When this whole perfume thing is over, he would run as far he could from this damn place. It became a hellhole. How long was he supposed to take this for?

He managed to handle this better than he thought. It was hell to pay, but he was strong enough. He wasn't giving this damn thing the best of him.

"Dante...?"

"What now?" He yelled at the cursed woman. It was her fault he was here!

"Can you look at this?" Monique shoved something underneath the door.

"What the hell...?" Dante picked up the newspaper.

**YOUNG COUPLE MAULED BY ANIMAL – POLICE ASTOUNDED**

He frowned as he looked at the brutal picture. Two bodies were lying next to each other, but one could hardly tell they were human. It was hard to distinguish obvious features in the picture, as there was blood and debris lying everywhere.

The one on the left had to be the guy... even though his head had been ripped cleanly from his head. His body had been mangled and crushed, with clear bite marks almost everywhere. Bones were sticking out from every angle. It was a very violent attack.

The girl...

Her body was full of claw marks and open gashes... She looked a lot better than the dead kid next to her... Perhaps the animal got tired and left her to die from her own wounds?

Dante thought about this until he noticed one thing.

The blood stains in the front of her dress were leading down to between her legs. It was obvious.

She had been raped. She had been alive through everything, and was left to bleed to death.

This was no ordinary animal attack...

Why were the police so fucking stupid...?

"Ah..." Dante groaned as the throbbing in his head returned. He hated this.

It's been three days since he got the overdose of Monique's perfume.

He knew what was coming next...

His heartbeat increased by tenfold, and the room became scorching hot. He would've tried to close his eyes and just fall into it... but every time he did it made him see the things he's been running from for a long time.

That was the worst thing about this whole experience. The fever.

He saw his dad... his brother...

His mom...

Everything that happened to her came flooding back to him, so vividly that it felt as if it happened five minutes ago.

He didn't need that. He never needed that.

"Are you all right?" Monique's voice came again. "Do you still have that fever?"

"For the fucking last time, NO!" Dante's palms went to his temples. "NO! I'm NOT all right, you fucking bitch! Of course I still have the damn fever! It's your entire fault... that I... Aaah... "

He went to sit down on a broken... well... he didn't exactly know what he was sitting on... as it was a pile of rubble.

He finally closed his eyes...

The screaming started up again. It made every part of his insides twist. The vision came back. He would never forget that terrified face. She was so scared... and so brave... and he couldn't do anything about it. It wasn't fair... She didn't need to die 'cause his old man wasn't there to fight his own battles... It wasn't fair that he and Vergil had to go through that...

He remembered how lonely he was when she died... How much he loved her... How he hates the damn guts of every filthy demon that came from hell. That's why he became strong. Why he wanted to fight back... His hands started aching, wanting to kill...

He took a sharp breath when a cold hand pressed against his forehead.

A voice spoke, although it seemed far away:

"You're burning up..." The cooling hand moved down to his neck and shoulders.

The image of Monique came back into his head again. Even in his state of delirium, he could admit that it felt nice to have her there... even though he was angry with her. He didn't exactly like having people close to him, or take care of him. But for now, he enjoyed having someone to care about him.

He felt himself coming back to reality as a very chilly feeling surrounded him.

He opened his eyes.

Monique was standing in front of him. She was holding an empty bucket in her hands.

"Better?" she smiled mischievously.

Dante looked down at himself, revealing that he was soaked to the skin with the wonderful icy water she threw all over him. He threw his head back and took in the coldness.

"Oh, hell yeah!" he breathed.

"Good! I'll go get another one, and then we can put your clothes out to dry." She turned on her heel and went out of the room.

Yeah, he thought, it wouldn't be that bad if she was around... without the damn perfume though.

"Here you are..." she said as she came back into the room, carrying another bucket. "Your temperature was sky high, so I figured drastic times called for drastic measures."

Dante smirked happily as she lifted another bucket over his head. He didn't know what to say though. He appreciated this... even though she's the reason he was here in the first place. He wanted to say something in the area of thanks... but all that came out was:

"Dynamite body, by the way." He opened his eyes to look at her as he expected an irritated response to this, or at the very least, a slap.

Instead, she looked amused. "Not many demons live to see it, you know."

He winked. "I consider myself lucky then, Babe."

Dante felt a pang of satisfaction when he saw her face turn a little more crimson.

"Could we maybe talk about something else?" she asked, obviously flustered.

"Well, Babe," Dante put his hands behind his head. "How 'bout you sit on my lap and we'll see what pops up..." He had to laugh when he saw her reaction. It was as if she didn't know whether to be flattered, or offended. She was clearly leaning towards the first option.

The girl tried to suck in her cheeks, obviously trying not to smile.

There were a few seconds of silence between them. He decided to push his luck a little further as she threw another bucket down his back.

"Aren't you cold?" he asked.

"No, why?"

"Well, it's just that you've been naked in my mind all day and..." He had to stop when she threw the rest of the water on his face.

"Those cheesy pick up lines don't work on me, you know. I've had guys from 16 to 60 hit on me before you! Don't think I don't know every line in the Guy-ble."

**XXXXXX**

The stairs creaked as Monique took the steps up to her bedroom.

Her eyelids were heavy from the long day she had, trying to keep Dante and herself in one piece.

She didn't know how long she could keep this up for... He was getting stronger and wilder by the hour. A couple of days could go by, and weapons wouldn't even be able to keep him in control.

This scared her a little. Dante did live up to his reputation as a warrior. She was lucky to be alive for now.

Her room still looked horrible, even though she managed to clean up most of the mess. Her window was still open though, letting in a cool breeze. The sweet, summery scent of the forest flowers outside drifted into the room, making the air seem heavier.

It was a warm night out.

She kept the lights off as she undressed herself. Doing this, she thought about what Dante yelled at her a few hours ago.

_NO! I'm NOT all right, you fucking bitch! Of course I still have the damn fever! It's your entire fault..._

He was right, she thought. It was her fault.

She felt a pang of guilt.

With a heavy heart she strode into her bathroom. She needed a good shower to put things into perspective. She reached towards the hot water tap and turned it, causing a blast of water to spray onto the tiles.

She went to stand in front of the mirror, and started to inspect her body. The scars were healing well, and they were almost gone. Then her thoughts turned towards the other thing Dante said...

_Dynamite body, by the way._ The corners of her mouth lifted as she wondered about this. She looked at herself again.

She did like the way she looked. She had been blessed with the typical family traits of the Du Beaumont gene pool, giving her a generous helping of curves and voluptuousness. Luckily, all the fighting and the exercise kept her muscles toned and stomach flat, or else she might've been just as lazy as some of the other Du Beaumont women in her family, all of whom rely on their powers to survive.

Too bad Dante couldn't see her now... she thought smugly.

She was left standing in a baby pink set of underwear. She remembered that this ensemble came from one of the most expensive lingerie shops in her area. She smiled as she thought back at how she got them when she received her first official payment as a demon hunter... It had cost her the whole payment though. But she didn't mind. She remembered thinking that this pretty pair of panties would definitely be worth it.

The lacy bra and thong were studded with diamond-like crystals, while the elegant stitching on the pieces made her seem all the more... cute... she thought as she looked at herself.

She pulled her long hair into a messy up-do, and fastened it with some pins.

She took a deep and heavy breath. Her muscles felt tired and ached from the day's strain. But she was enjoying this setting though. The steam coming from the boiling tap filled the room, making everything foggy.

Her eyes travelled to her hand. The scar from the broken window which she fell through still peeked at it through the smooth skin.

A lingering thought passed through her head.

Dante... Somehow, something in her wanted him to touch her. She knew this was wrong and a bad idea... but every time she looked at him she felt a strange feeling in her gut...

She felt her face warm up. Her thoughts went back to the mark on her hand. She worried that this wound would turn into a scar.

She sort of wanted him to come over... to see her like this.

But... what would he be capable of...?

**XXXXX**

Another drop of sweat fell onto the floor. The floor had been glistening proof of his feverous state.

_What the fuck... is this? That crazy bitch is trying to kill me..._

He was scorching hot. Everything in him felt as if it came straight from hell itself. His senses seemed so much more primal, as if everything depended on taste, touch and smell.

He was sitting in the corner of the dark, humid room. It was a heated night.

Delirium was sinking in fast. He knew this feeling all too well.

The cold water the woman threw on him today had been heaven to his skin. Just the thought of it made his skin crawl. He needed more of that straight away.

Where was that girl?

Wait, that didn't matter anymore... All he needed was the relief of some icy water... Yes...

Forcing himself up from the creaking floor, drenched from his burning body, he stumbled out of the heated room towards the staircase. There had to be a shower up there somewhere...

Half-crazed, staring at that staircase as if it was his biggest obstacle ever, he climbed and slipped and pulled himself until he reached the top.

He could feel the air thicken with moist. He had to follow it, he knew instinctively...

His hand finally found the door where the vapour was coming from, and pushed it open discreetly, leaving a sweaty hand print on the door hinge, letting out a burst of steam into his already hot face, blurring his vision for a second.

He inhaled sharply when the fog cleared up...

**XXXXXX**

_But... what would he be capable of...? _

Suddenly, a cold breeze passed on her naked flesh, making the hair on the back of her neck rise.

She started scanning her room fleetingly for any signs of suspicious activity.

Her eyes grew wide with surprise and fright when she saw Dante's unmistakable figure illuminated by the moonlight streaming in from the balcony window.

She was too afraid to say a word. She stood perfectly frozen.

_Dante... What the hell? What is he thinking...? _

She treaded lightly towards him as he came towards her, looking restless. She knew almost immediately that something was wrong with him.

As he paced even slower towards her, his knees buckled under him and he collapsed to the floor.

She hesitantly kneeled in front of him, as to assist his weakened body.

Her face grew even warmer, when she realised he had been staring at her through his soaked silver hair. She also quickly had to avert her eyes when she noticed he had his torso left bare and glistening.

In the back of her mind a horrible little voice mentioned: This is surreal... take me now!

She pushed those primitive thoughts aside as he lifted a hand towards her moonlit face.

His chest was heaving up and down, and as he bit his own lip his expression changed from a painful one, to one that looked like longing.

She meant to speak in a stern voice, but it came out small and anxious:

"Dante..."

He felt like it had to be a dream. His head felt light and far away.

He was sure that this was Monique that was standing in front of him...

He could no longer see her as a woman, for this was a girl standing in front of him, with a look as pure, as innocent, and as close as possible to an angel as he's ever seen.

Her hair cascaded in small silky strands around her face, now flustered and soft from the mist floating around her. She wasn't wearing any makeup, and her hair wasn't styled. She stood perfectly natural.

But her lips... he thought.

Her lips looked impossibly lush and soft, and he longed to feel them on his own.

She was pink and flushed from the steam around her. Looking at her hand, she pulled her face into a small frown, only emphasizing the childish nature of her stance.

When he met her, he nearly stood equal to a dominating, strong woman.

But this girl... She was small and defenceless.

He took a few heavy steps towards where she stood. Her head snapped up.

The expression on her young face reminded him of a startled doe. He secretly smiled at this. The heat from his fever was tiring him out... he needed to move over to her before he lost the nerve.

However, his vision started blurring as he moved closer. By now he could understand the faintest hint of her perfume. He was struggling to overcome it.

His knees buckled under him, and he went to sit on them.

When he looked up, the girl was only an arm's length away, kneeling in front of him.

Every single inch of his demonic nature was burning. Suddenly everything was clear to him.

He could sense her fear and hesitation in him. He understood her doubt and suspicion in him, as his senses were alert enough to sense every raw emotion in her.

But there was one other thing he picked up... something that shortened his breath and heightened his fever.

It was lust. She wanted this too... she was just scared.

He reached out a hand to touch her face. He knew he had to control himself now. One wrong move and he would blow it for good.

"Dante..." she whispered in a soft voice. His hand touched her skin and she exhaled at his contact. He heard her swallow heavily. Securing his hand on her shoulder, he leaned in towards her face.

She started to retreat as he came closer, but his hand held her steady. He could feel her hot breath on his lips before he pressed them against hers.

The pressure was enough to make him crack.

When Monique realised what she was doing, her eyes flew open and she jerked away from Dante's face. She tried to ignore the odd angry look on his face and repeated rapidly:

"No...No, no, no... No, no, no, no..." She stood up and backed away from him. "I can't... You're..."

Dante groaned as he strained himself to stand up. "Oh, for the love of FUCK!" he scowled, putting emphasis on the last word.

When he stood up straight, Monique only then realised how tall he really was. She could see every perfect twist and turn of his muscles every time he took a shivery breath. This quickened her breath even more.

"This is stupid!" she went on. "Your feelings aren't real... and tomorrow we'll regret everything..."

Dante wiped his forehead with his already sweaty arm and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Are you fuckin' kidding me? You talk big and act smart, but when push comes to shove you're a big fat scaredy cat! You want this, just as much as I do, don't you?" He huffed.

She focused on the floor. "We just can't... Sorry, Dante... but the answer is no." After that she turned and went back into the steamy bathroom.

Her whole body jumped when his voice in the other room shouted angrily: "Like hell it is!"

He burst into her bathroom, coming after her. She stepped in quickly and met her dead end in the corner of the bathroom, and spun around. His eyes were so intense, they resembled glowing coals as he said:

"You're a coward." Then he walked towards her.

Her breath got caught in her throat and she tried to swallow. She could hear her own heartbeat pounding rapidly in her ears as she reminded herself that this was a bad idea. And anyway, what would things be like between them tomorrow? Would this just be some stupid one night stand? She couldn't just let that happen, she still had to help him through at least a week with the overdose he had, not to mention the demon at the burlesque lounge... There couldn't be any awkwardness between them.

The least she could do was try to talk him out of it... to save them from themselves. Ignoring his determined attitude as he stalked towards her, she took a deep, shuddering breath and said in a voice she tried to keep as firm as she could:

"I don't want to be with you..." She backed further into the wall, the cold surface making her shudder. "You might hurt me... We're friends, you and I..." She tried in a shaky tone.

A bolt of panic shot through her body. She had no idea what was going on in his head, what he wanted to do with her... His eyes were greedy and hungry, his whole body trembling as he strode towards her resolutely. She was afraid her heart would beat right out of her chest.

She was scared.

The man in front of her stood extremely powerful and tall. It frightened her and thrilled her all in one. The atmosphere around them was choking her.

_Now I know how Cinderella felt..._ she thought wildly. _Having to run but desperately wanting to stay...No, wait... _She corrected herself._ Cinderella wasn't being seduced by a hot demon-human thing like this..._

By now Dante was only an arm's length away. "This is your entire fault anyway..." he said.

She couldn't say no to that... It was no surprise they were in this situation. Her resolve was weakening at the sight of him.

She tried one last time.

"We're being idiots. If you'll excuse me..." she tried to walk around him.

"All right, that's it!" Dante grabbed her by both her wrists and pushed the small girl back against the wall. She tried to pull herself from his grip, but he held fast. She started to panic even more when she realised she was no match for his power. "Dante, this is madness! Let me go!"

He was obviously getting tired of her denials, so he parted her legs with his hips and moved forward, straddling himself. She started freaking out more when her feet were lifted off the ground and stood up against Dante's sides.

He leaned closely over her bewildered face. "Say you don't want this... If you can honestly say you don't want this... I'll let go." Before she could open her mouth to affirm this, he added:

"If you lie, I'll know."

To this she stopped struggling.

"Dante, let go..." she whimpered.

He pushed tighter against her. "No..." he shook his head. "Not this time..."

She turned her face up to his, but her disapproval turned into a moan of surrender as he crashed his mouth down on hers with a desperate kiss which sent an electric jolt through her whole body. From that moment on, everything else stopped existing.

**AUTHOR's NOTE**

A/N: Dearest Reader  
>Warning: The next part of this chapter contains mature content of a sexual nature. If you don't want to read this, you are welcome to skip to the next chapter, where you will be filled in on what happened in this section. Enjoy :D<p>

**A VERY special thank you goes to my VERY talented beta-reader, xXxLadyColdxXx, for writing this next scene for me, as I had no idea how to write something like this! YOU ROCK! :D**

Dante was struck by lust so hard he could no longer wait for Monique to give in. Pushing his lips fiercely against hers, as if there would be no tomorrow, he felt excitement rise in him as a helpless moan escaped her.

Monique also felt drunk... it was a hard feeling. She was drawn to his body, voice, moves... Every damn thing he did turned her on. She didn't know if it was the pressure of his body against hers, or if she had been suppressing in her mind since she met him.

She wanted him and wanted him whole. Not a kiss, not a close hold in his strong arms... She wanted him to have her... to do things she so wanted to experience.

Monique was a hot blooded woman... who wondered about love and being loved... and all the things that came with that package. But she never dared going after it. She had bigger priorities in mind, such as working hard and being the best in this cursed business... She could never bring something like a husband or children into this type of life, could she? How could she risk the people she would love to that?

But... having Dante around gave her the same feeling she felt when she used to be in high school. Her first feelings and thoughts towards sex and sexuality as she watched all those sweaty guys come out of gym class... the muscular look of a man's body, the intensity of a sensual love scene... However, Dante was much... MUCH... more than a childish teenager.

He was a devil hunter. A man who understood what she has seen and had to fight on a daily basis. He's seen the unspeakable evil of hell no one else dares to explore, felt the blade slip through a monster's throat and felt the rush that came with nearly dying a sick death by a demon's hands.

He was strong... fearless...

Fearless...

That was the word that best described her state of mind at that moment. She didn't want to let go. She wanted to be engulfed in that feeling she felt while being held by Dante... she wanted to kiss him, touch him and feel him inside of her.

Dante woke her from her reverie when she felt the clasp behind her back unhook and let loose, but still held on to the straps as he gave her one last look. His eyes pierced through hers, and she knew this was it. All she could do was give a nod, and notice the glint in his eyes that came as she gave him her final approval.

The silky fabric slid downwards as he dropped it on the floor, leaving her bare and chilled. She wasn't exactly sure how to go about this... Being sexy and alluring would probably have helped, but she was out of her comfort zone. This time, she wasn't in control enough to be daring.

It was almost as if he read her mind when he pressed his lips onto hers again, obviously enjoying the satisfaction of skin on skin contact. His attitude captivated her, as his hungry mouth and possessive hands moved on her, revealing his true nature as a virile young man... and a supernatural creature at that.

He was obviously very experienced in this area. Everything he did was enjoyable, and there wasn't the slightest bit of hesitation in his moves.

She felt feverish and chilled at the same time. Every sensation is new and unforeseen, bringing the world around her to a standstill. The steam was making every part of the bathroom moist and slippery, and it was hard to keep their balance as they kept making out and fumbling around with each other.

"Whoa!" They both cried out as the final slip drove them down to the floor. The hit was painful, and left them sprawling out the cold wet floor, slipping around awkwardly, in complete contrast to how they were feeling seconds ago.

They both stopped and stared at each other in a what-now sense. The ice had been broken.

Monique was the first one to start giggling like a schoolgirl and Dante joined in wantonly as he reached for her.

The drunken feeling in their heads increased tenfold, and kept escalating as Dante started discarding his clothes as well.

Monique threw her head back, excited… nervous…

After a few moments, Dante's head snapped up as a loud "OUCH!" echoed against the tiles. The girl gave an embarrassed grin when he realised that she had been, in fact, inexperienced. He smiled back apologetically at this.

Not wanting to lose the intimacy, Monique leaned towards his face and started kissing him again. He joined in and responded heatily.

The rest of the night passed on dreamily…

Outside Ahriman was leaning against the wall of the house, listening to the familiar noise of youth lost in passion.

This bit of information could be useful… He never would have guessed these two would have something going on. If he could use the two against each other…. Then he could kill two birds with one stone.

A loud cry came from the window followed by the boy saying something like: "Shit! Sorry!"

Ahriman looked toward it, swore his last bit of revenge against the young couple, and disappeared into the darkness.  
>_<p>

A/N:

Whoohoo! This is finally done! I am not used to this type of writing, so comments on the whole chapter would be much appreciated! Thank you for waiting this long! The next chapter is gonna be sooooo tense…. Hope you guys enjoyed ;D


	10. Chapter 10: Sugar Me

**Chapter 10: Sugar me**

**A/N: Song used at the end: Pour some sugar on me – Def Leppard**

XXXXXX

"C'mon..." Dante smirked. "Eat it!"

He was answered by a roar that would've burst a normal man's eardrums as the demon in his grasp tried to get free. They were lucky to be in a field that was miles away from any form of civilisation, as not only was the creature's cry deafening, but it was the size of a small mountain.

"I said, eat it, bitch!" Dante lodged and twisted the blade deeper into the creature's throat.

The giant reptile swung its massive tail dangerously wide and pushed its giant claws into the ground, trying to pull away from the gleaming sword, but Dante held steady effortlessly.

"C'mon, you big dinosaur, I'd have thought you'd be more of a match than this?" Dante gave the sword a last brutal twist. "I'm done playing with you now. Say goodbye, Godzilla."

Pulling the demon with him, he launched himself into the air and swung the giant lizard over his head, letting it land on its back with a terrible thud. The creature gave a last, pitiful shriek as Dante fired a bullet with precision between its yellow eyes, and turned to dust.

"Thanks," he grinned as he pushed the gun back into its holster. "I needed that, man."

He exhaled as he noticed the hint of a glow approaching the horizon. Dawn would be breaking pretty soon...

He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up.

He was getting tired of pretending... And of fighting what's happening to him.

He closed his eyes and finally let those pressing thoughts flood his mind... and saw the woman before him turn around the pole seductively to sing those ominous, yet luxurious words:

_"I'll eat you up... Your love... Your... Love..."_  
>She batted her eyelashes. He felt the hunger rise.<br>_"Oh... I'll eat you up... Oh... So yum, yum..."_  
>Her small hand went up to her decadent dark hair while she swung her hips slowly.<p>

His teeth started to itch... And he felt sick.

His eyes opened again as he wiped his head with the back of his hand and felt the cold sweat dripping from his brow.

Everything was different now...

The night before... was an idiot move. He hated to admit that. There was a good reason he didn't let anyone close enough, and man, oh man, what would he say to the girl when she wakes up. What would she think?

Are they in a... relationship now? The word was alien to him. Are they a... thing?

It was becoming obvious.

He'd been lying to her ever since the day they met, and she would soon find out, wouldn't she?

The perfume had been hell on him. She knew that. What she didn't know was that he could just as well have killed her and the other demon in a matter of seconds.

Hell, after Temen-ni-Gru...

'Cause fact was... Dante had been putting up a front.

Fact was... This girl didn't know his power... His strength.

The corner of his mouth lifted ironically as he thought about how easy he had been making it for her... How pathetic he must've looked at times.

He had to hold back on her in order not to hurt her. He was afraid that if he did let go, he wouldn't be able to stop... And eventually kill her in the process.

He didn't want that to happen to her.

The first time they fought had been fun for him, he thought she was hot, so he let her knock the gun out of his hands a few times and pretended to be surprised at her cute little moves... Which were of course... Endearing.

Dante smirked inwardly.

Endearing.

That's so a word his brother would use. He missed his family. He was going to miss Monique too when it was over.

And now he didn't want to tell her. If she knew, then she would also figure out what he could do to her if that perfume ever reared its ugly head again.

Poor girl actually thought he was doing better...

He'd just have to act natural a little while longer,  
>he thought as he started walking back towards her house.<p>

XXXXX

The sunlight streaming into the room beamed into Monique's face.

She gave a light moan, irritated by the bothersome brightness that awoke her from her sleep. It was only when she turned her face that she felt the strange sensation of skin against skin contact on her cheek.

Her eyelids fluttered open.

The view she had was of her bedroom moving up and down slightly and slowly... It looked dreamy...

Until she came to the realisation.

A nervous pull went through her stomach as she found herself lying on top of the young man she spent the night with. The two of them were stretched out on a few thick towels on the bathroom floor, and it was obvious enough what they had been doing there.

Slowly she turned her head upwards to look at him. He was still asleep, lifting her slightly up and down as he inhaled deep, dreamy breaths.

Every moment from the night before played through her mind... She closed her eyes again as a feeling of embarrassment flooded her thoughts.

You stupid, stupid whore, she scolded herself mentally. You gave it up to some guy you barely know? And what about him...? This complicates everything between us...!

Dante shifted a little under her, making her conscious about both of them being naked. It felt awkward... but it wasn't a bad type of awkward. It was just new. She had to get up before she started liking it too much.

She carefully put both hands beside him, careful not to shift too much weight on him as she pushed herself up. Being so cautious about being quiet and light footed, she didn't notice her long, loose hair tickling his torso as she pressed herself backwards. To her own distress, he awoke with a lazy sigh.

His half-open blue eyes examined her for a moment, and then she saw realisation dawn on him about what they had done.

She half expected him to react the same way she did, to groan with regret about how stupid they were and toss her from himself.

Instead, his strong arms reached over to her and pulled her towards himself.

"Hmmm... Mornin' Babe," he yawned.

"Hi..." she answered back bashfully, feeling her face turn warmer as her cheek pressed against his shoulder.

Crap... what should I say next...? Should I wait for him to say something? Wait! What if I wasn't good last night? What if I suck in bed...? Is that why he's not saying anything? She became extremely self-conscious at this thought.

Then, as if he was reading her thoughts, he squeezed her and said:  
>"Next time you have to wear that hot red thing you wore at the strip club."<p>

She looked up at him. "Next time?"

Monique felt better. It he actually wanted a next time, she couldn't have been that bad. He smiled mischievously as he stretched himself out full length, causing her to roll off him. Pulling one of the towels with her, she covered herself in a swift motion.

Something suddenly stung.

"OW!" She straightened her back and went to stand in front of a mirror.

The long claw mark down her back was an ugly red colour against her light skin. Even though she thought this looked gross… it was kind of hot… wearing the guy's 'mark' on herself. She had to remember to treat it later.

"Yeah..." Dante sighed when he saw what she was looking at. "Kinda lost my cool there for a while last night..."

Monique turned around, wide-eyed.

"Pardon me," she put her hand on her hip. "But what part of last night was cool?"

Dante put his hands behind his head and leaned back, spreading himself across the white floor in a luxurious stretch.

"It was pretty hot, wasn't it?" He winked at her.

The two of them were quiet for a while. She didn't like things being uncomfortable like that... so she tried to think about something to say or ask. They only thing that could pop into her mind was:  
>"So, how many women have you ever been with?"<p>

Only when she blurted the question out, she realised how inappropriate it really was.

It mortified her when Dante lifted his eyebrows and stared towards the ceiling for a while. She just made things worse! Now there had to be some way she could apologise.  
>"Uhm... Dante...?" she tried.<br>"Wait, I'm still counting!" he replied, and furrowed his brow.

Now it was her turn to lift her eyebrows. Shocked that she was just another notch in his bedpost, she quickly tried to defend her dignity.

"Uhh... yes, well, if I count correctly... you should be guy number fifty-six..." she pretended to think as well.

He started laughing at this. It was a deep, hearty laugh, and she liked the ring to it. He seemed much better than the day before.

"What's so funny?" she blushed.

"I would never have guessed you were a virgin. If only you told me first, I wouldn't have let it hurt so badly." He propped himself up on his elbows. "You gave me a very different idea 'bout yourself."

"Hmmm... didn't quite think that lie through did I?" she sighed and grinned sheepishly. "And why do you say that?"

Dante sat up and gave a final stretch. "Well, you dance better than most strippers and you keep walking around naked or in your underwear. What did you expect? I don't know about other guys, but to me that's a sex crime waiting to happen.."

"You're making me sound desperate!" she pulled the towel tighter. "I didn't want it that badly...!"

Dante snickered. "Well, Babe, either you wanted it bad, or you just liked agreeing with me a lot last night..."

XXXXX

"These... Damn... Pants..." Monique jumped up and down, writhing and squirming as she tried to slip the pair of denims on.

She looked very comical as she came down the stairs.

"You don't have to wear them, Babe." Dante smirked. "I like you without them just the same." He winked at her.

"This is all your... gnnnn!... fault," she gasped. "You keep feeding me all that damn... gnnnnn!... damn pizza!"

Dante whistled. "Yeah, even I'm afraid to take your fat ass on now."

"Oh, fuck off!" She groaned and threw a pillow at him. "So who was the toughest guy you ever had to fight, Bigmouth?"

That was something he didn't need her to know... For a couple of reasons...

Instead he laughed it off. "Hmmm... YOU were!" he replied mockingly and reached over to pull her into his lap. She resisted.

"C'mon! I really want to know... HEY!" She giggled as he started playing dirty. He picked the girl up effortlessly, threw her over his shoulder and headed upstairs.

"Sex is not an answer!" She laughed.

"I'm sorry!" He replied. "You're absolutely right! Sex is the question, yes is the answer!"

"That's the worst pick up line in the world," she laughed and slapped his butt. "You could've at least bought me dinner first!"

Dante laughed and stretched out to answer the phone as it rang, holding the phone away from the woman on his back.  
>"Moby Dick's... I mean...! Monique du Beaumont's house..." He answered mockingly.<p>

"Oh! One more fat joke and I'll...!" She started, but was quickly shushed by the serious look on Dante's face as he set her down.

He listened to the phone for a little while longer, and then set it down. Turning to Monique, he said:  
>"Showtime."<p>

XXXXX

"How do I look?" Monique asked the girls in her dressing room that evening.

"Like a rock chick!" One of them giggled.

"Like a total skank," another one laughed.

"Good!" She winked back, eyeing herself in the mirror. She decided to keep her hair loose and wild, donned a top consisting entirely of diamonds and glitter, paired with black leather shorts and ebony thigh-high boots. She was busy clipping on a pair of wild earrings when curtain call came.

Monique peeked out from the big velvety curtains. Full house tonight... _Crap_. She looked at the place where Dante would be sitting for reassurance. Her stomach gave a nervous pull as he caught her glance, and gave her a confident wink. She smiled in return, hoping the pale look on her face wouldn't give away her worry.

She allowed herself to sigh.

Tonight was probably going to be the last night they'd be working together, wouldn't it? Chances are good that he would leave her. Her stomach gave another pull at this... Finally, she had someone who knew what her life was like, who she could relate to... who she was fascinated with and spellbound to... that immense attraction she couldn't shake, no matter how hard she tried. He had been so good to her, so understanding of her life... and so much fun. And now he was going to leave.

"Places!" The stage manager called.

She pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

The curtains pulled open slowly, revealing the dark stage. The only things visible were a few female silhouettes posing provocatively in the shaded scenery.

Then her voice came, calling up all the confidence and new found sexuality she now owned:

_"Step inside"_

_"walk this way,"_the other performers joined in.

_"You and me babe,"_she called out

_"Hey, hey!"_They answered.

The stage lit up to reveal a flurry of dancers clothed in black leather and glittery metals, and in contrast to them stood the leading lady, donning a diamond encrusted microphone.

_Love is like a bomb, baby, c'mon get it on  
>Livin' like a lover with a radar phone<br>Lookin' like a tramp, like a video vamp  
>Demolition woman, can I be your man?<em>

She swung her hair wildly from side to side and shook her hips.

_"Razzle 'n' a dazzle 'n' a flash a little light_  
><em>Television lover, baby, go all night<em>  
><em>Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet<em>  
><em>Little miss ah innocent sugar me, yeah"<em>

The crowd gasped when she took out a silver pistol from her pocket, aiming it towards the roof.

"_Hey_!"

She yelled as she shot towards a strategic spot in the ceiling.

Just then, streams of white sugar came rushing down from the roof. She walked over, and reached out her hand to let it run through her fingers.  
><em><br>"C'mon, take a bottle, shake it up  
>Break the bubble, break it up"<em>

Another shot.

_"Pour some sugar on me_  
><em>Ooh, in the name of love<em>  
><em>Pour some sugar on me<em>  
><em>C'mon, fire me up<em>  
><em>Pour your sugar on me<em>  
><em>Oh, I can't get enough"<em>

She moved toward the front of the stage, close to where Dante stood.

"_I'm hot, sticky sweet_  
><em>From my head to my feet, yeah"<em>

As she saw him, her confidence got another boost from his facial expression. It was very similar to the one the night before... She smiled saucily at this and fired another shot with bravado. 

"_Listen! red light, yellow light, green-a-light go!_  
><em>Crazy little woman in a one man show<em>  
><em>Mirror queen, mannequin, rhythm of love<em>  
><em>Sweet dream, saccharine, loosen up<em>"

_"You gotta squeeze a little, squeeze a little  
>Tease a little more<br>Easy operator come a knockin' on my door  
>Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet<br>Little miss innocent sugar me, yeah, yeah"_

_"Give a little more"_

_"Take a bottle, shake it up_  
><em>Break the bubble, break it up"<em>

_"Pour some sugar on me_  
><em>Ooh, in the name of love<em>  
><em>Pour some sugar on me<em>  
><em>C'mon fire me up<em>  
><em>Pour your sugar on me"<em>  
><em>"Oh, I can't get enough"<em>

_"I'm hot, sticky sweet_  
><em>From my head to my feet yeah"<em>

The audience clapped and howled as the pistol fired into the ceiling, releasing a thick waterfall of syrup onto the platform she stood on. She strut around it with an attitude, and flashed a smouldering smile at Dante as she swung her hips, and to her delight he responded with a true and pleased laugh.

"_You got the peaches, I got the cream_  
><em>Sweet to taste, saccharine<em>  
><em>'cause I'm hot, say what, sticky sweet<em>  
><em>From my head, my head, to my feet"<em>

_"Do you take sugar? one lump or two?"_

_"Take a bottle, shake it up_  
><em>Break the bubble, break it up"<em>

She went to lie on the floor as another stream of syrup came down onto the floor, and let it flow onto herself, rubbing it over her body.

_"Pour some sugar on me_  
><em>Ooh, in the name of love<em>  
><em>Pour some sugar on me<em>  
><em>C'mon fire me up<em>  
><em>Pour your sugar on me<em>  
><em>Oh, I can't get enough"<em>

She licked her fingers seductively.

_"Pour some sugar on me  
>Oh, in the name of love<br>Pour some sugar on me  
>Get it, come get it<br>Pour your sugar on me"_

"_Ooh_..."

she belted out.

"_Pour some sugar on me_  
><em>Yeah! Sugar me!"<em>

The lights went out... and the crowd went wild.

Dante whistled and howled in appreciation, trying to control himself for the umpteenth time. And then... he sensed it... It was him... it was the demon they were after... It was coming closer to him. Dante slipped Ebony and Ivory out from their holsters... ready to strike...

But then its voice came onto his ear:

"Midnight... outside in the alleyway... bring the girl... or I'll blow the place up."

XXXXX

After about an hour a freshly showered and dressed Monique was waiting for Dante outside the dressing rooms. As he approached her, she exhaled shakily.

"Big fight's at midnight, outside," he said as he went to stood next to her.

"Okay," she shrugged. "We'll be there..."

She took lipstick out of her purse, but checked herself just before she could apply it.  
>She turned to him.<p>

"Listen," she began.

_Crap_, Dante thought, when a girl starts a sentence like that, it usually ended negatively for him.

But this time it didn't.

She leaned over, hesitantly, and kissed him.

The kiss was slow, and sensual, yet innocent and trusting. A lot like her. But, in contrast to that... it was urgent and rushed. A lot like him. He could figure out what she was trying to tell him... He ignored his own discomfort and returned it.

When it ended, she pulled away, and mumbled a humble "thanks" as she buttoned up her coat and picked up her purse.

Dante stared out in front of him for a few long minutes. When he finally spoke, it came:  
>"Maybe I should go in alone."<p>

"Why?" She asked him, and he could detect the hint of defensiveness in her voice.

He closed his eyes. It was time for the truth.

This was gonna sting. Dante steeled himself for her reaction.

"Because I don't think you can handle this, Babe."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**A/N:**

PAM PAM PAAAM! Shocking ey? Sooo what's Monique's reaction going to be when she finds out what Dante is capable of? And what he would do to her if he lost control?

Please R&R, feedback is super important as I am nearing the end of my tale...! I'd love to know what you all think?

Anyway, thanks for everyone who gave a review!

I especially wanted to thank Ryu Sayuri publically for that fantastic review I got! WOW! Lol! (a personal note to you though, I sent you a personal message through , did it get through? I've had some problems with the pm network) anyway, just in case it didn't get through, OF COURSE you have my permission to draw them! I can't wait to see it! I'll be so happy if you do :D

Also a shout out to 88dragon06 for reviewing regularly, I love it! :D You make my day every time I get one! :D Thanks so much!

Lastly a shout out to my girl xXxLadyColdxXx, for helping me with the chapters! YOU ROCK MY SISTA! I'm so happy that we're fb buds now :D

Be posting the next one soon, guys!


	11. Chapter 11: The Accident

**Chapter 11: The Accident**

"Excuse me?" Monique replied. She was freshly dressed in a dark blue denim and white top, balancing herself immaculately on very high heels.

Dante felt his hands start to sweat. This really wasn't his thing, he thought as he wiped them on his coat. He looked at her, and she looked back expectantly. He had, to his own surprise, misjudged her on numerous occasions. He finally got that she was green, naive and hadn't quite experienced the bottom of the food chain. She'd probably kill him if she knew this, but he did pity her a little bit. He also had a feeling her posh family had something to do with her not getting the worst cases... Maybe they didn't forget about her all that much...

Poor chick was innocent. Ah... maybe he shouldn't tell her... He was strong enough for this, wasn't he? He'd be an asshole if he let her fall on her ass like that. Besides, he liked her. Maybe he could...

No.

He couldn't.

This girl can't look after herself. She couldn't get better if she didn't know about her own mistakes, right? He didn't have time to babysit. He needed this case finished and she was in the way right now... he reminded himself. After the case was done, they could hook up again then, right? He thought resolutely. Yeah... he had to be honest.

"I don't think you can handle this..." He repeated, louder than he wanted to... it came out sounding like he wanted to convince himself not to spare her feelings.

Monique stared at him blankly. He waited for the bomb to explode.

Then...

"Oh! Yeah, totally!" She giggled and gestured dramatically with one hand against her chest and the other against her head. "I would be screwed if I went...! Luckily I have the famous son of Sparda at my side," she winked as she put some lipstick on. "And of course, you have me to cover your ass, don't you?"

Her face turned more serious when she saw he wasn't joking back.

"Monique..." Dante started. This got her attention. He usually referred to her as 'Babe' or some other coy nickname he knew would annoy her. Now she knew he was going to tell her something severe, he noticed as he saw realization dawn in her eyes.

"What?" she asked, her brow furrowed in concern. He could sense her body tensing up at his tone... did the chick know what was coming?

"I mean it." He reminded himself to stand his ground... not to pity... to ignore his feelings... and the secret worry that she'd hate him afterwards...

"Mean what?"

"I think you should sit this one out," He wiped his hands again. "You can't... handle it... as well as you should... ah..." Dante stepped closer toward her as he said this. He secretly facepalmed himself for losing his strong tone, and found himself trying to be nice to her again. "I uh... hmm... There's something I have to tell you..."

He went to stand close to her.

And then he told her. He explained his restraint in their fights from the very moment they had met, the way he hid his own power from her, how she could never have won that battle if he didn't protect her from himself, as well as the effect the perfume had had on him. They stood in the hallway of the lounge for what seemed a lifetime, where he only talked, and she only listened. Crap, he thought the whole time. This... fucking... sucks.

"So... yeah. That would be it." He finished.

"You're kidding me? Please tell me you're kidding me?" She asked, and her bottom lip started protruding. He started to feel really uncomfortable.

Dante looked at his boots.

"Is all of that really true?" She finally spoke softly.

Dante sighed. "Yeah, Babe."

Then the atom bomb exploded.

"What? You mean to tell me that... that... all this time...? All this fucking time...? No! No! I won't believe it! C'mon! I took the both of you on wearing nothing but perfume, didn't I? I refuse to believe that everything you did and the way you behaved had been fake!"

"Babe, c'mon..."

"NO!" She was turning hysterical.

_Typical_, Dante thought exasperatedly. _Women always want to know if their asses are fat or something, but they NEVER want to hear it._

"Look," Dante interrupted her sternly, glad to have his frustration bring his determination back. "Babe, you can freak out about this all you like... but I'm not gonna let you go do this. I'm going alone, and this is to keep you safe." His tone was final.

She looked at him, gobsmacked. He would've bet his own sword that no one had ever tried to tell her what she could and couldn't do... Rich folks are all like that. He didn't like her tantrums, but he did like this firm attitude on himself when he was around girls.

"Listen..." Her voice came out shakily, dangerously. "I'm going... whether you want it... or not!" She stomped her little boot on the floor with a thud.

Dante gave a few deliberately arrogant steps and went to stand if front of her.

"Babe..." He spoke to her as if she were a child. "What part of 'NO' don't you get? Hmmm?"

"Out of my way!" She tried to push past him, but he held her steady with his arm. He almost laughed at the size of her eyes as he did this.

"We could do this the easy way," Dante pushed an enraged Monique back in front of him. "Or we could do this the fun way... But either way I win."

"Like hell you win!" She yelled at him, her cheeks flushed furiously as she balled her fists.

She took a large leap at his side, hoping to push through his stance and run through to the alleyway. Dante chuckled wantonly and grabbed her by her arms.

"I'm sorry, Babe, but you asked for this..." The he pulled her towards him with impossible strength, as if she were a ragdoll, and threw his arm around her neck, and tightening his grip. She realised what he was doing as he cut off her oxygen supply.

He felt her body tense up, and could sense the blood in her body rushing faster against him. It was still hard for him to resist hurting her... but he knew he could handle this. He felt stronger than ever before.

"Chill out, Babe..." He kept his arm pulled back against her neck, holding his breath a little bit against the farmiliar hint of perfume in her hair. "I'm not gonna kill you... Just gonna make you sleep a little. Trust me... I kinda want you alive... you know... when the case is done..."

He could just make out the small groans coming from her mouth, mumbling: "Psycho...path!"

"Resistance is FUTILE," he laughed again, maliciously.

He steadied her more as she went into survival mode, and her fight or flight instincts came kicking in. She squirmed and scratched and clawed at him and his arms as if she thought she was actually going to die. This of course, was no match for him, so he decided to wait it out calmly until she passed out, dodging a hit to the groin every few seconds.

And then...

The next moment happened as if it were in slow motion. It was the moment that changed the course of the whole future between the two of them... He would later remember this moment as the very thing that determined their fates.

Crack!

Something broke against his head. The last thing he could remember was a cold liquid running down his face and Monique's loud gasp for air as he loosened his grip, feeling absolutely fantastic... and passed out himself... falling into euphoria.

**xxxxx**

Monique chest heaved heavily as she fell to the ground, one hand breaking her fall and the other one rubbing her neck where Dante's arm had been choking her seconds before. Her windpipe hurt where she tried to pull air through it, and where he clamped it shut. A crazy head rush like she's never experienced made her dizzy and groggy. A few more seconds and she would've been out, she thought as a new headache pounded her brain to pieces. She quickly turned around to see what she found in her pocket and brought to his head in her frenzy...

...and felt herself grow perfectly cold as she found the little perfume bottle shattered around them.

Dante was lying lifelessly on the floor next to her, his face wet with the scented stuff that he told her he had to battle merely minutes ago... but he didn't seem dead or anything. His eyes were half open and he was breathing with difficulty. She immediately felt his pulse with a shaking hand... his vital signs were pulsing quick and like crazy.

He looked and acted like someone who had OD'd on drugs.

"Oh... No! NO!" She yelled as she realized she might've killed the damn bastard... or at least brought him close enough to it as she possibly could.

"I'm such a stupid... fucking... AAAH!" She screamed at herself as she wiped the stuff from his face. "Dante! Dante! Please, wake up! Oh, shit! No!" He gave no indication that he'd even heard her.

She knew she screwed up big this time. He couldn't die! She wouldn't let him... What now?

Andre! Andre would know what to do! She had to call her brother! She needed a phone! Where the hell was the nearest phone? Suddenly she remembered!

She pushed Dante to the corner of the hallway and covered him with her coat. Picking up her purse, she ran full speed towards the alleyway next to the burlesque lounge, where she recalled seeing a grubby, gross little payphone somewhere nearby. It probably didnt even work... But she had to try... What else could she do?

The icy night air stung her skin and throat as she burst into the cold through the doors, her long hair blowing out behind her. Looking around for the phone, she tried to remember the Du Beaumont's house number in her head...Where is that...? Ah! There it was!

The little phone booth stood like a beacon of hope in the moonlight. She's never seen such a beautiful fucking payphone in her life...!

The coins in her purse jingled as she pushed an unknown amount through the small change hole. After she dialled the number she hoped and prayed was correct... the line rang.

And it rang... and rang...

She closed her eyes, which were now close to tearing up. _Pick up, pick up, pick up..._ she prayed silently.

"Hmmf... Yes?" Her brother's voice came sleepily after a click.

"Andre?" Monique nearly sobbed into the phone now, with relief and stress.

"Monique? Is that you?" His voice turned serious almost immediately as he recognized her voice and realized her hysteria.

"Andre, I need your help! Dante and I got into a fight, and there was an accident with the perfume...! We're at the Decadénte lounge and..."

She stopped speaking immediately after she felt a piece of cold steel against her neck.

"Hello?" Andre's voice came. "Monique? Monique? What happened? Are you...?"

A hand reached past her face, took the receiver from her hand and placed it back onto the hold. Andre's voice died with it, and she knew she was in major trouble.

"Well, well..." Came a voice in her ear so velvety it felt like it could be touched. "An accident, you say?" the voice's arm snaked around her waist and pulled her away from the phone gingerly, the long blade still pressing dangerously against her jugular.

Monique steeled herself for one hell of a fight. She knew this was it.

"You don't scare me."

"Ah... _au contraire, chou chou_!" It spoke the French words mockingly, his warm breath tickling her earlobe. "I can feel you quivering in my arms as we speak... I wasn't born this century, you know." He moved the knife away from her throat and spun her around to face him.

In front of her stood a remarkably handsome man.

He was tall and noble. His coat flapped around them in a whimsical manner, here and there revealing a strong, lithe build. The man's hair was brown, like hers, and hung sexily and improperly into his eyes, making him look wanton and decadent enough to eat. His mouth with its perfect teeth and piercing green eyes illuminated by the moonlight would've captivated her if she didn't know he was the demon they were looking for all this time.

His long, slender fingers lifted her chin sensually.

"He was right you know..." He said. "...about your abilities."

She felt a wave of anger pull her stomach tighter, as it was obvious the man knew about her and Dante's fight. "We'll see about that!" She answered poisonously, feeling a fresh need to prove herself to the world... yet again.

The gorgeous man pulled out a long, half-circled blade from beneath his coat. It was a curved blade, and looked very similar to a machete. It reverberated softly as he swung it through the air with grace.

"Now..." he grinned ominously. "Finally...You're mine."

He shot forward with a terrible speed, and swung his sword at her midriff ferociously. She caught her breath for an instant in panic, and then recovered just in time for him to miss her as she blocked the attack, then flying past him to kick him hard into his side. He groaned as her sharp heel dug into his flank, poking him in his ribcage.

_Focus... focus... concentrate..._ she kept reminding herself. She tried anticipating all of his moves before he could execute them. She blocked his punches and dealt her own in strategic places, and fought back with experience and expertise. She was starting to think this guy was bark and no bite... and made the mistake to relax and let her guard down a little bit in the process.

Monique's hand flew into his chest and smacked a singular pressure point known to demons, making the man groan louder. She anticipated his next swing and made him miss her by few centimetres, in a way she thought was a clever move. She chuckled triumphantly.

Until suddenly... She realized that she had anticipated wrong.

His other hand grabbed her free arm, and swung her onto him with brute force. She had underestimated his strength as well. After that, he gave his first stab into her side.

She cried out painfully and tried to pull away... but couldn't...! Her legs had turned into lead, and her arms couldn't move an inch.

She opened her eyes to see him chant something silently... he was using a curse on her, and powerful magic at that. Before she knew it, he thrust his sword into her gut and twisted it severely. After a few more of these... she stopped fighting it.

He gave a last painful stab into her side and kicked her back into the wall, with a proud "Ha!" as he did this.

She hit it with little grace and was just in time to see him lift his circularly curved and bright blade into the moonlight... She automatically closed her eyes in preparation for the fatal chop... And then felt the wall tremble a little bit behind her.

She opened her eyes, surprised to see her own head still on her shoulders.

"Yes, darling," The sweaty beast grinned. "I need you alive for a little while longer... But first you're going to pay for your sibling's little stunt the other night..." He said the word 'stunt' like it was a sour taste in his mouth.

The blade had been struck deep into the wall, and the curve of it went around her neck, leaving the skin of it untouched. She realised that if she moved forward a single inch, she would slit her own throat...

And kill herself in doing so. _Fuck_, she thought as she cut herself a little when she tried sliding her fingers around it. _I'm trapped...!_

She stood perfectly still, feeling burning pains in the places where he had already stabbed her. "What do you want from me?" She asked, trying to keep her voice proud and firm, but instead it came out shaky and uncertain.

"You can't guess, Pretty Girl?" He strutted around, fiddling for something in his pocket and pulled out a small jewelled dagger.

"You can't take any power from me," she groaned while she tried to pull the curvy blade around her neck out of the wall. It wouldn't budge. "I didn't inherit it! Don't you get it? Can't you see? I don't have it!"

The demon grinned and leaned into the wall, next to her. "Tell me something, dear... do you have a soul?"

She hesitated, her hands still around the sharp weapon, and then nodded.

"Very good. Do you have a brain?" he asked her again.

She nodded back.

"Clever girl. And, you have a heart too, I presume?" He went to stand in front of her.

"What's your point?" she spat out.

"My point is, dear, that just because you can't see something... doesn't mean its not there." He winked. "My name is Ahriman. I have been after that little gene of yours for years. I know everything about you, Darling... You were born on the 6th of August, learned to walk and run early for your age, and by the time you were five, you could speak three languages fluently. You were such a precious little girl..."

Suddenly, he thrust the dagger into her leg, turning it sideways roughly.

"Ahhh!" She cried, but didn't move... one move forward and she would die. This man was cruel.

"It was hard on you when you reached high school," he continued. "You never seemed to connect with anyone but your brother when you became older. You kept complaining about how no one understood you... saw what you saw... It was very funny when you punched that daft cheerleader in her face when she told everyone in school you skinned cats and ate bats... A cow with a blonde wig and fake chest... Wasn't that what you called her? Nobody knew how different your family was."

His eyes fell to her chest as he pushed the dagger into her arm. She cried out again in pain.

"By the time you were sixteen, you and your family realized your power would never manifest... after your father hit your mother, accusing her of infidelity and calling you a bastard-child, you ran away..."

"Is there some kind of sick fan club I don't know about?" She asked through gritted teeth and shiny tears.

"Oh, no..." Ahriman smiled deviously. "I just know how to..."

Then he transformed, and shape shifted himself into one of the gardeners that used to work on their family's estate.

"...blend in..."

He turned into a familiar butler.

"...without being noticed..."

A boy she knew from school.

"...for who I really am."

The greasy man who sold her a coke a few weeks ago. He shoved the knife into the right side of her ribcage and said: "I've always been there... waiting to get you alone like this..."

"You're a sick freak..." was all she could muster out from the pain as her insides sunk ominously.

He laughed decadently at her disgusted grimace.

He took a bottle of unfamiliar white powder from his pocket, screwed off the top, and threw a miniscule amount into one of her open wounds. The pain was so intense that the scream she wanted to let out got caught in her throat. She couldn't breathe...!

"This is the most fun I've had in a long time!" He laughed as tears emerged from her eyes. "Your cushy little lifestyle had always been a thorn in my side. So undeserving of what just had to fall into your lap, aren't you?"

This time he thrust his dagger with extra vigour into the right side of her chest.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" She finally let out her scream. He stabbed her again.

"Yes... Let it out, my darling..." He whispered excitedly. "I know it hurts... beautiful hurt... I've had the most delicious dreams of seeing you like this... and now it's here!"

The tears flowed freely now as he poured more of the white powder into her wound. She needed to tell him to stop... but she was proud. She couldn't!

Then the temptation came... to end it. She would just have to fall over and then she would die... it would hurt anymore! Then she remembered Dante's words... _Because I don't think you can handle this._

"No..." She sobbed. "I CAN handle this!" But in the back of her head... a terrible little voice told her, _no, you can't._

By now Ahriman was euphorically prancing around, laughing maniacally at every ounce of pain she was experiencing. He seemed to become more ecstatic as he was slowly draining the life out of her, blood flowing freely like a fountain from her and pride being the only thing keeping her alive. She had a horrible feeling he knew that.

An hour had probably passed.

He had cut her, stabbed her and pierced numerous places on her body. Every time he added more of the white powder, and laughed as her crying increased and her blood streamed out. She cried and screamed... no one seemed to hear.

Finally... after an eternity... he put the white powder away.

She couldn't look down at herself, but her wounds felt raw and burnt to shreds, her muscles fried and her insides shattered. She couldn't move anything, and her legs were so weak she did everything she could to keep herself upright. In front of her a stream of blood flew into a small pool. It hurt so much...

She started crying freely and liberally as one thought shot into her mind.

Dante had been right. The fucking bastard was right. She was weak and inexperienced and human... He took pity on her, didn't he? He had stuck by her when it got hard anyway, and now his life was on the line because of her... now she would die... and she would never help him. She had been a total idiot.

"Now..." Ahriman's eyes glowed. "Now... I can finally take what is mine!"

"Wanna bet?" A husky voice came up behind them.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Dante stood behind Ahriman. To Monique's horror, he looked sick... tired... white even in the dark, and as if he would pass out any second.

He looked like hell. No way could he defeat Ahriman like THAT.

"Dante, NO!" Monique screamed.

****

A/N:

Ta-dah! Hope u guys are on the edge of your seats! Cause something BIG is going to go down up next :D Unfortunately... it might be the last one...! :'( So watch this space ppl!

Anyway, to all the reviewers: LOVE YOU GUYS! Thanks to Ryu Sayuri, 88dragon06 and MeechMacko for your comments (especially to MeechMacko for all of the advice in the past few chapters! I appreciate it immensely, definitely helped me get a lot better!)

PLEASE R&R! I'll be posting again pretty soon!


	12. Chapter 12: Dante's Warcry

**Chapter 12: Dante's Warcry**

"Dante, NO!"

Monique couldn't see how the hell Dante was even standing up. His face was glinting from all of the fresh sweat it was covered in, making his features seem iridescent in the night air together with the small trickle of blood where the bottle had cut his skin open, and his eyes were glassy and confused as he stared at the demon, who looked somewhat amused at Dante's condition.

A cold wind blew and chilled her to her bone. She knew something terrible was about to happen...

Ahriman clapped his hands in delight, cocked a perfect eyebrow and strolled over graciously to where Dante stood. Inspecting him closely in his improperly glamorous manner, he strutted around Dante, holding his own chin in mock fashion.

"Hmmm... Hmmm-hmmm-hmmm." Ahriman mused theatrically as he leaned into Dante's sightline. "The famous son of Sparda himself. See what one stupid little girl has reduced you to , Boy? Women! A pity, isn't it, Son? I heard by chance you had gotten yourself poisoned... The effect of belladonna is thrilling isn't it? Some demons use it as an equivalent to what humans have in cocaine and heroin. I've had it once or twice myself... But not as much as you, I'll think..." He said as he sniffed the air around Dante. "I've only heard legends about you, young man, nothing but vivid and powerful legends, yes... of you and your powerful father. I never thought we would meet like this... You want to face me, Boy?" Then he leaned over and pulled Dante by his collar, so that they were eye to eye.

Monique waited with bated breath for Dante to say something cocky in his usual trademark fashion. Instead, he pointed a finger at Ahriman, glared into his evil eyes, and told him sternly:

"You can't have the last slice of pizza. I'm telling Mom."

At first, Ahriman was dumbfounded and even Monique, who had been in immense pain, shot Dante a confused look. At this, Dante pointed his finger at Monique: "MOM! Vergil took the last slice of pizza! I saw it fiiiiiirst!" He closed his eyes and sighed childishly.

At this Ahriman looked thoughtful and felt at Dante's forehead with his long, slender fingertips. He laughed and turned Monique, still holding Dante at his collar. "He's at a worse temperature than hell itself, my dear! Your overdose gave him a fever, and now... he's delusional! Oh... this is rich... I still can't believe my luck!" He was almost giddy with joy.

"Who are you calling fat?" Dante sneered at him, still in his grasp.

Ahriman shoved Dante onto the floor, and laughed malevolently as the young man hit the floor immediately, and put the dagger he used on Monique through Dante's shoulder. Dante only grunted, swallowed hard, and stayed down on all fours, his knuckles white and sweaty from the endurance he had went through, and was still going through.

"Wait! Can't you see he's sick? Just leave him out of this! He doesn't need to be tortured!" Monique yelled at Ahriman through gritted teeth, who pulled out the dagger almost immediately and was inspecting it thoroughly. She tried once more to pull the blade out of the wall, but she knew she was trying in vain... her hands were covered in her own blood and slipped off the metal, and she could get no grip on it.

Dante breathed heavily. Then, to Monique's own surprise, his eyes seemed to change. They became less glassy and more focused as he looked from Monique back to Ahriman.

"Listen, pal," he answered huskily, his head still bent down to the floor. "I've just had about enough of you... I came to finish this... no matter what..."

Ahriman chuckled decadently, his beautiful laugh filling the room, bouncing of the walls with grace.

"My young friend, you're hardly in any position to take me on." He held the little bloody dagger into the moonlight. "You've been poisoned, haven't you...? Can't you feel yourself burning up? Can't you feel the pain that is throbbing through every little cell in your body? I know you can!" He sounded excited, and continued: "That is because you are dying! And trust me, boy, I'll be the one who makes it happen faster."

"Fuck you..." Dante groaned and Ahriman shook his head arrogantly.

"Young man, this war you have isn't even against me at all, is it? You're waging the whole thing against yourself. You can't fight me, because you protein infused brutes always have to protect the damsel in distress, don't you? You have to save her from yourself before you can save her from me. That makes me the stronger one..." He tossed his hair.

"No! Please!" Monique interrupted Ahriman. "Don't do this! What do you want? I'll do anything...! I swear!" She was hysterical at the thought of Dante dying because of her. "Just don't let him... die..." Tears started flowing again, and she whispered: "Please..."

Her heart was writhing in itself... She couldn't let Ahriman do this! But there was no way out... and she was in so much pain...!

"Vergil!" Dante shouted. "If I get my hands on you... I'm kicking your ass!" He took a gun out of his holsters and fired it. The bullet hit the brick right next to Monique's head. She shrieked, and Ahriman snickered.

"This has got to be the most fun I've ever had!" He clapped his hands.

Suddenly Ahriman started humming calmly, as if he were doing something as normal as reading the paper with a cup of coffee in his hand. He pulled out a piece of chalk and started writing something on the floor Monique couldn't quite make out.

Her head was turning dizzy...

"Well, I think it's time to finish what I started in your bedroom, Darling." Suddenly Ahriman's posture changed, as if he suddenly remembered a pleasant memory.

"I almost forgot to thank you," he mentioned. "For that haughty little session we had a while ago... You do have a nice... feel to you... Although... you don't look so pretty at this moment... in fact, right now, you're quite pale..." Ahriman winked. Monique knew he was talking about that dumb mistake she made when she mistook Ahriman for Dante, and started making out with him until Dante himself caught them.

He laughed at her disgusted expression, and added: "I would have loved to sample the rest of you! Unfortunately," he glanced at Dante. "Someone else beat me to it, didn't he?"

"What?" Monique groaned, suddenly surprised. "How did you know about...?"

"Oh, " Ahriman waved it off. "I have my ways, Darling. Just know that next time, make sure the neighbours don't know his name again afterwards. If you lived in the city, you would get a reputation..." He laughed again at her expression, which was mortified. He simply adored making her feel this bad and embarrassed before her death... revenge is beautiful... and he wanted to make her farewell to this physical realm as terrible as possible.

"Now..." Ahriman's eyes glinted excitedly. "This might hurt, my dear. But just a little bit..."

He started chanting... in that horrible voice she once heard, where it sounds like a hundred people were speaking the same words at once...

"_A caelo usque ad centrum... a capite ad calcem... a posse ad esse... absolutum dominium..._"

Her body started to warm up... a pleasant change to the cold at first...

"_Eram __quod es... eris quod sum..._" his eyes turned up into his head.

Then the pain came...

"AAAH!" She cried as it struck her right in her gut. Every muscle was going into spasm, and she couldn't do a thing about it. Even if she wanted to fall forward to end it all, she couldn't move...!

"_Potestatem tenebris... potestatem adduxit per lumen..."_

The pain increased, and her head felt like it would split open any second!

"_Vos ad vitam voco te... ostende te statim..."_

Her body clenched violently, and the aura around her seemed to glow.

"Stop it... please..." she choked through the pain. Then all she could do was scream.

"_Omnes!"_all the voices shouted.

Suddenly, a piercing sting shot through her entire body, as if every small little detail that made her up was morphing into something else. It hurt like hell.

"PLEASE!" She screamed as the pain reached its peak, surprised she could still speak. "STOP IT!"

Then, the pain subsided. She stood limp... tired... confused.

Dante was on his knees now, his head down. When Monique half opened her eyes, she noticed the odd tear stains on his face, as well as his darkened, painful expression. "Mom... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Mom... I wish I could've fought... Why the fuck isn't the old man around to help us out? Don't hurt her!" He clenched his fists.

"What?" Ahriman curiously stepped over.

"Just run, Mom... RUN!" Then he shook, as if he just saw something horrible happen.

"It's not fair... No... It's just not fuckin' fair... And now the potatoes won't grow and we don't have any lipstick!"

Ahriman went to stand next to Monique and laughed again: "We should've had some popcorn for this!"

"You're a freak!" Monique shouted at Ahriman. "You're a pathetic... spineless... asshole! You should burn in hell! I hope you do, you sick son of a..."

Monique was stopped in mid sentence as the demon pushed the dagger in one of her wounds and slapped her across her face. She cried out in pain...

Suddenly, Dante's head snapped up. "No..." he growled. "Not again! This time... I WILL fight back!"

Glaring at Ahriman with murder in his eyes, he shot forward and grabbed the demon by his throat. Throwing him to the ground with an incredible force, he took his sword from behind his back and stabbed the demon straight through his chest.

And then... as soon as Dante's power came, it had gone.

_Fuck_, Monique watched. He _doesn't have enough power to handle us both...!_

He fell to his knees, leaving a surprised and appalled Ahriman on the floor with the enormous sword in his torso. He pulled it out with a painful groan, and tossed it aside.

Ahriman grabbed one of Dante's guns on the floor and pointed it to the young man's forehead.

"That's enough from you now! If I shoot you now, you won't heal. Are there any last words, Infidel?"

"GET UP!" Monique shouted, banging her fists into the wall behind her. "Get up! Don't give in! This is not the end! Don't make this the end!" She cried, getting more and more anxious. She was near full hysteria.

All of a sudden, she started to feel dizzy... her sight was fading... and she started breathing with difficulty_. I'm losing too much blood... If something doesn't happen know I'm going to bleed to death!_

Ahriman lowered the gun and punched Dante effortlessly in his gut, sending him flying into the wall, a few metres away from where Monique was trapped.

"NO!" Monique screamed ... can't... be happening.

Wait! Did she have power now? Maybe she could use it... but she was too tired... too drained...

She was powerless in every way.

Dante spat out blood, and as he fell over again Monique saw the blood on the wall behind him. Ahriman's attack must've shot right through him! If it were her she would've been killed in a second. If she didn't do something now... Then this would mean death for them both...

Them both...

_Damn._

With a heavy heart, Monique realized what had to be done. Time was running out...

"Dante..." she started, feeling so many emotions as she watched one of the few people she actually cared about slain and near death. "Dante... Listen to me..."

His head lifted slightly to indicate that she had his attention. She cleared her sore throat, and continued. The words came with difficulty.

"This is all my fault... Ah, fuck... this is such a MESS! And I got us into it... There's no way to say s...s...sorry... now... for getting you into all of this." She swallowed hard, starting to feel a little panicked. "I'm going to end it."

As she said this, his head snapped up, and the resentment in his eyes was as clear as they were blue.

"It's the only way... He needs me alive for this ritual..." She stiffened her legs as she began to feel slippery from all the icy sweat on her body.

Dante tried to stand up, just to fall down again. He groaned, obviously angered at her words.

Ahriman laughed maniacally at her speech, pointing the pistol at Dante's head. "Darling, whether you die or not, I don't give a flying fuck! I can take your power whether you're alive or not! Now that it has manifested in you, you can die if you want..."

"SHUT UP! Let me finish this!" Monique screamed at him, and Ahriman smiled insolently. He nodded for her to continue. Then she looked at Dante, who was now laying face down on the concrete.

"I'm the only thing standing in your way right now..." Monique started. "To defeat this guy... If he takes my gene, then you won't stand a chance if I'm in the room... alive... Whoa!"

She nearly fell as she slipped in her own blood, but her fists held as steady as she could to the wall. Pushing through the pain, she finally said out loud what she wanted to leave him with.

"Dante... I know we haven't known each other for very long... but... I... I've been happier with you as my friend... than I've ever been in my life... you know?" She blinked so that the tears that welled up would run down her cheeks, to clear her vision.

Dante stopped moving, and only lay face down on the concrete. He was either listening to her, or he was already dead. She pushed the last thought out of her mind.

"You understood... everything... and you were... so nice to me, even though you knew I wasn't very good... I know that too now..." She couldn't hold on much longer and spoke a little louder. "You even fought the perfume, just to spare my feelings and now you tried to s...save me..." Her voice broke.

She prepared herself to let go of the wall... and to fall to the floor. The steel that would end her life shone magnificently in the moonlight in front of her and it glittered with her tears.

"You know," she closed her eyes, which were blurred again with tears. "I think I get where my own strength lies..." She waited a few seconds as another wave of pain pushed through her body_. It'll be over soon..._ "I think that true strength isn't always in holding on... but in letting go sometimes... and I guess this is it... You were the best friend I ever had, Dante, and I don't regret anything about us. I don't want to go, and I'm going to miss you... a lot...," she whispered. "But letting you live is the best revenge I can give you. And you deserve it more than I do... So... kick some ass when I'm gone... 'kay?"

Dante started groaning.

"Thanks... for everything... Goodbye... _Babe_," she whispered with a cynical smile, but feeling broken inside.

Monique took one last deep breath and prepared to push herself forward... and froze at the sound of the loud holler that rang in her ears.

"!"

Dante was crying out, his deep voice booming so hard she could feel the sound waves vibrating in her ears. She opened her eyes, and saw the whole room light up fantastically in an instant!

Dante slowly stood up from where he was laying, and everything about him had changed, she noticed when he looked up. His eyes were a brilliant glowing blue and all of his wounds that were caused by Ahriman's torture were growing shut and healing by the second. She had never seen anything like it! The pebbles around him rose an inch above the floor and trembled around his feet... everything about him emanated extreme power...

Then he changed again. Monique tried to recognize the demon form she had fought a little while before... but this was NOT the demon she fought... This one was different! Way different...

The demon she had first encountered was in a word, a lot more humanoid even though it possessed a supernatural face and a scaly exterior, paired with wings. This guy was bigger, stronger and a lot more reptilian... and he had a tail!

Ahriman was so shocked, he fired a bullet, but it bounced right off of Dante! He fired another one... then another... and another... and another! Not a single one pierced Dante's skin. Not even a scratch was left as the bullets ricocheted away from his impenetrable exterior. Monique couldn't believe her eyes. He was... bulletproof... Even from his own guns?

Dante smirked insolently as those glowing eyes turned towards Ahriman, who also could sense the sudden amazing shift of power. The demon stepped back hesitantly, and when Monique realized that it was cold, naked fear she read in his eyes, she finally knew: Dante had won his war.

"Your ass is mine, Bitch," Dante smiled arrogantly, as he picked up his sword, holding it stretched out in front of him.

"I haven't come this far... I won't lose now! Not because of some hormonal box of testosterone!" Ahriman shouted back as he transformed into his own horrible demonic form.

The feline growled loudly and slammed his enormous claws into the concrete, making the ground shake a little, preparing for the fight of his life.

"Well then..." Dante mused in a growling voice, which changed down to two octaves lower than his usual youthful baritone. "Let's dance, Baby!"

Ahriman jumped forward, claws protruding towards Dante's figure. As he prepared himself to scratch Dante's skin clean off of his bones, he was shaken to a standstill as Dante smacked the demon's paws out of the way nonchalantly, and slammed his sword into the his side. A loud crack was heard and Dante laughed deep and harmoniously as he pulled out his sword, just to bang it into Ahriman's beastlike thigh. Antoher crack.

Ahriman screamed in his thousand voices as Dante's sword finally slid through his neck.

The giant cat was flung backward and hit the wall behind him with an incredible bang. As he fell forward Monique noticed his feline silhouette etched in the bricks, caused by the collision.

_Wow..._ she thought as she saw this. _He made it look so easy! The strength, the moves, the speed! How could he have hidden that so well...?_But her own legs were getting weaker, and her breath was getting shorter... she needed this blade gone or she would really fall without any trouble!

Dante walked over to the creature, dragged him on his long, hairy tail, and asked: "Had enough, Hello Kitty?" The creature growled loudly and half-heartedly tried to put a claw through Dante's face. Dante flinched away lazily, and grabbed the cat by his tail with both hands. He started turning, pulling the cat into the air with him.

Spinning the feline by his tail, he laughed boyishly and shouted so the thing could hear: "You know, I never thought a kitty could be such a pussy!" He laughed deeply, and as he let go of the cat, and watch it fly into the oblivion of the night air, he saluted: "Sweet dreams."

_He won..._ Monique thought in disbelief. _He did it... he..._

Then Dante's brilliant blue eyes turned to her, full of energy and battle lust.

_Oh, shit..._ Monique thought. She had completely forgotten about the perfume...! Now she was going to die...

"D...Dante..." she tried.

Suddenly, the room lit up again, and she watched in horror as Dante omitted an enormous wave of power toward her. She knew that type of power... it would incinerate her for sure...

She had to fall forward anyway... to escape this pain as well. . Fuck... why did she have to die... when she had just met him? That's not fair... She liked him so much... everything about him... and now she had to leave.

Monique gave a push. _Goodbye cruel world_, she thought bitterly as she fell.

She closed her eyes in preparation for the blow...

But it didn't come... She just felt herself hit the floor. Death must not hurt at all.

Thank goodness. She was a little bit afraid of that.

She waited a few more seconds. Death was cold as hell. Maybe she did go to hell? Still, nothing happened...

She opened her eyes.

The normal Dante was standing in the centre of the alleyway, smirking at her with one eyebrow lifted, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "You are such a drama queen," he chuckled at her stunned expression.

Monique lay on her stomach, still alive.

She looked around her, astounded, and found the wall behind her to be... GONE! Non-existent! When she looked to the floor, the blade, once beautiful and majestic, now lay rusted and tarnished in front of her...

_How the hell did he...? _

"Huh?" It was all she could manage to get out.

Her body felt drained and wet, and she felt an odd and urgent anxiety well up in her. She let her face fall to the cold concrete, and focused on the sudden pins and needles she felt in her hands and feet.

"Let's get you some help..." she heard from a distance as she felt herself being lifted.

Even in her immense pain, she couldn't help but smile with the joy at the realization of a fresh start... and new future...

_I think I'm in love..._ she thought girlishly as she drifted into sweet euphoria.

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"Where the hell have you been?" Lady screamed into Dante's ear. He held the receiver away at arm's length, and waited for her tirade to end. "I've been calling you for three weeks straight! Where the fuck were you?"

"Hey, come on! Gimme a break, Lady," Dante spoke exasperatedly into the phone. "I got a little preocupied with the case... That's all."

"You better have the money when you get back! You should've had it three weeks ago! Don't tell me you still don't have it," Lady sighed irritably.

Dante rolled his eyes. He knew borrowing money from this chick was a bad idea... Women!

"What's with this sudden outburst? Is this that PMS thing you chicks blame everything on?" He asked her as slumped back into the comfortable chair he was sitting on.

Even as Lady's ranting continued, Dante was happy to hear her voice. He had been so caught up in this little world for these past weeks, it felt so good to hear back from everything he knew, his reality.

"I'm doing this as a favour to you, Dante, and you better..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he interrupted as the owner of Decadenté, Mrs. Jones walked back into her office. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay...? There's someone I kind of want you to meet..." He finished, ignored her dangerous: "Don't you dare hang up on me!" and hung up the phone.

Mrs. Jones smiled. "I am very pleased with your work," She poured herself some whisky. "Now everything can function normally around here again! All will be as it was."

She turned around, her flamboyant strings of jewellery glinting as she moved.

"You probably want to talk money now, don't you, Darling?" She took a large gulp from the glass.

"Well, guess it's the only thing left to handle..." He put his arms behind his head.

The woman pulled out a rather dusty suitcase from under her desk, and pushed it over to Dante. "A promise is a promise... It's yours, dear. All of our life savings." She downed the last of her stiff drink.

Dante opened the suitcase, it was neatly stacked and filled with thousands of dollars_. Life savings, huh?_

He only took out one of the packets. It would be enough to cover Monique's hospital bill and to get himself home... plus a pizza or two. He chuckled as he thought how Lady was going to kick his sorry ass for this one...

Leaving the flabbergasted woman behind, he pulled his coat tighter against the wind and started the 45 minute walk back to the nearby hospital in the city.

As he walked at a relaxed pace, he thought about where things would be going from here. He was still a little unsure about some stuff... but there were a few things he was certain of.

One... He needed to try out this new strength he had... he felt great in his new demon form... and he did actually have the girl to thank for it. Without her stupid mistakes, he might never have transformed the way he did. He felt a lot more powerful, even in his human form.

Two... He had to make sure the Du Beaumont power would be protected. Any other demon who could extract it would obviously be a major threat. He couldn't let that happen... he would have to talk to Monique's family about this.

And three, he thought as he finally approached the street the hospital was situated in. It was already twilight and the streetlamps were turning on. Three... He definitely did want to see the girl again. Even if she messed up... like crazy... since he met her... she did manage to make a lasting impression on him. He had seen her bravery exposed to its full measure the night before, and after that... he did realize he had... feelings... and stuff. Not just lust... but feelings for real. _Gross_... he thought. _Feelings_... what a corny word. It was after she called him her friend, a sincere and trusting apology and tribute to their weird interactions... He knew he could want more... maybe... But would the chick want him too?

Would he be hurt if she didn't? In his mind he saw her youthful smile when they were laughing... that wanton look on her face the night they were together... The way she kissed him the night before... _I think that true strength isn't always in holding on... but in letting go sometimes... and I guess this is it... You were the best friend I ever had, Dante, and I don't regret anything about us._

"Crap... I think I would..." He groaned, exasperated at this realization. He felt a sudden urge to be with her again, to spend time with her and to see that pretty smile she flashed him whenever he said something that pleased her spoilt little heart.

Until... He saw the smoke, and noticed the bloody red sky that hovered above him.

Suddenly, he sniffed the air. Something was burning... His intricate senses told him that it wasn't just a tyre or something... he smelled burning flesh...

Dante sped along the street, as fast as his strong legs could carry him.

"Damn it... Please don't let it be..." He muttered under his breath as he sprinted, hoping the ominous prediction in the back of his mind was untrue.

His worry grew when numerous fire trucks and police cars with flashing sirens drove past him, urgently in the direction where the hospital was situated.

"Come on... not now..." he ran faster.

His stomach clenched as the burning hospital came into his sightline...

"Fuck..."

He sped further and was just about to reach the burning building when a policeman tried to block his way.

"FBI!" The man said, pointing a gun in his direction. "Sir, I'm afraid no one is allowed past this perime... AAH!" He cried out as Dante effortlessly threw him aside into the side of a police car, speeding straight into the burning building.

He travelled in thick smoke up numerous flights of stairs towards the area where he last had seen Monique, who had still been unconscious from the loss of blood when he left her to sleep it off in a hospital bed. The higher he went, the worse the temperature seemed to get. Worst thing was... he kept smelling blood and debris around him. He'd hate for the fire to have started on her floor...

But apparently it did.

As he reached the 5th floor of the hospital he finally realized the extent of the situation. Flames were licking at every corner, and were quickly engulfing every room. He focused his senses to get a better view of what went on around him... and was stunned to see dozens of dead bodies lying everywhere. But it didn't look like smoke suffocation. They were all murdered...

...brutally. The room was a mixture of ripped flesh, and different body parts were laying all over.

His heart beat in his throat as he stepped over someone's torso, across a bunch of legs and arms and towards the hallway where her room would be situated...

_Please, please, please..._

The hall had been lined with the same debris as the other rooms, to his own dismay, and his hand shook as he turned the white hot doorknob to open her room...

It was untouched.

The room was just as he left it? Only Monique was missing! He looked at the floor and found bloody footprints that led towards her bed and back. He had to find her! It could already be too late... Ahriman must've survived...

He heard a soft moan just outside the room and immediately went outside to see who was still alive after such an attack.

The young blonde nurse was lying with her back against the wall, and Dante knelt in front of her.

"Miss... Lady!" He took her hands. "Miss!"

She opened her eyes... and screamed when she saw him.

"It's all right!" Dante backed off, holding his hands up. "I'm not going to hurt..."

"PLEASE!" The nurse cried hysterically. "Please! I have a son! I have a husband! I can't leave them...!"

"Miss..." Dante tried to calm her down.

"I can't die, not now! Please have mercy!" She begged, and coughed from the smoke. "Take whatever you want!" She held out her purse. "We already told you where the girl was...! You got what you wanted..."

"WHOA! What girl?" Dante interrupted, alarmed.

"The g...girl you carried out after..." The woman trailed off and started sobbing again hysterically.

Dante finally put two and two together. Ahriman was a shape shifter, wasn't he? This woman recognised Dante himself as the killer...

"Where did he... I mean... which way did I go?"

When the woman didn't answer, he shook her out of frustration.

"WHICH WAY DID I GO?"

She sobbed and pointed towards the stairs in the left wing.

He ran... and searched... and searched... and searched... until the small trail of the belladonna perfume evaporated into the smoke... the only proof that the beautiful girl even existed in his memory.

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Somewhere... in the city... a woman ran. Not a girl anymore... a woman now.

Her innocence was now gone. He took it from her.

By force.

His sick laugh was still ringing in her ears... her body was still covered in his saliva and hot young sweat...

A few hours later Andre found his sister wandering the empty streets of the city, aimlessly looking ahead of her, an expression of pain and horror on her ashamed face.

Ignoring the blood that stained her legs in violent streaks, he asked her:

"What... happened...?"

She looked up at him, with empty eyes.

"I... I thought he was going to save me from the... the fire... So I let him take me... He was my f...friend... I was in... love... and I thought he was in love too... That's what he said... Then he... he... Dante took me to an alley... and he... made it hurt... even when I screamed... he just... l...laughed..."

Andre pulled his sister into an embrace, and hugged her tight, tighter than he had ever held anyone. She kept repeating the same sentence: "He was my friend..."

"Andre..." Monique's voice shook after a while. "Be my witness...for this..."

Andre pushed his sister back, a question in his eyes.

"Andre... Someday... I'm going to kill him... he'll die for this... I'm going to fucking kill him... "

Then she started laughing... and ended up sobbing in her enraged brother's arms...

...a woman by force. Her hands started glowing.

"_I just want to sleep. A coma would be nice. Or amnesia. Anything, just to get rid of this, these thoughts, whispers in my mind. Did he rape my head, too?"  
>― Laurie Halse Anderson, Speak<em>

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A/N: Dear Reader

Oh my word, I can't believe this is done!

Firstly I'd like to thank everyone for their story alerts and favourites, you guys made it ALL worth it! I can't thank you enough! Thanks to everyone who commented thus far, to 88dragon06, Meech Macko, Ryu Sayuri, PSYCH0xSEXY, NoNameAnimeLover. c00kies'N'cream234, kaileena2, ShatterTheHeavens, o0CrimsonsDragon0o, Figgs, uchihapride98632, ThatGuyWhoOnlyReads and f0reVer-bR0kEn. LOVE YOU GUYS to friggin bits! I loved to hear your comments and advice, please keep it coming!

And lastly, a huge shoutout to xXxLadyColdxXx, my beautiful beta-reader, who not only helped me out enormously, but also became my friend :D Ur the best hon! (and that very hot blonde u saw the weekend AHEM *real Dante* AHEM would agree wth me!) MWAH!

Okay, now as you all know, this was my first fic! Please tell me what you thought of it? And whether I should continue writing? Please please please each and everyone? Id really like to know what you all think. Critique is also very welcome, i don't mind it :)

And another very important question... Would you guys like to read the sequel? ;)

Thanks to all who supported this story

Sincerely,

Hey.I'


	13. Author's Note: The sequel

Dear AWESOME, FABULOUS, AMAZING Readers

I do hope you enjoyed the first story! I must say that I do understand your frustration at the ending! But it would've been waaaay too cliché to have given the two a happy ending! Besides, I have a lot more hilarity and action I want to give you guys!

So...

For the continuance of the tragic tale, please follow this link to the long-awaited sequel! Please don't be afraid to R&R.

Dante's Warcry 2: Seven

With LOTS of love,

The author


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